


Axes and War: A How to Train Your Dragon Spy AU

by Peaches_07



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hiccstrid Week 2020 (How to Train Your Dragon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28823547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peaches_07/pseuds/Peaches_07
Summary: Astrid's life was simple and boring on her parent's farm in the countryside. And Astrid is anything but plain which is why her uncle recruited her for the CIA. This is where she'll meet lifelong friends and a certain auburn haired, green eyed male. Slowly and very determinedly, she breaks down his walls. Just as she thinks things are looking up, she hits rock bottom.Alongside Hiccup, Astrid and her unit are sent on a mission. One that no one has yet to return from. They are thrown into a mix of puzzles and love. Astrid now must decide whether to follow her heart or her head. Can Astrid piece everything together before the battle around her turns into a war?
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Unknown POV:

Tonight. Something about tonight spoke to me. It told me of a great destiny; one that was mine. Although in the same breath, dread filled me. Head to toes. I looked at my team beside me. All minds focused on one thing, and one thing alone.

The night was dark and the moon stood at a silent peak. The stars seemed to twinkle at me as if in a mocking manner. From what? Something hidden tugged at my chest. It was this nagging feeling of dread, swarming me. Consuming me whole.

Yet I’m still going through with it. The mission. I’m going to see it through whether it kills me or not. Destiny was singing my name. This was it. I was going to do it.

The roof of the building became clearer as I shot another glance at my team. The plane’s jetlag, rocking us as we opened the door. Cold air hit me in the face with a sudden gush. My hair started to fly around my face and my eyes traced over where we were to land.

My head was telling me to jump but my chest was telling me to stay. I have gone on so many missions before, why should this one be any different? But I couldn’t shake the feeling off.

Dread. No matter how loud it sang, destiny seemed to always out sing it. And tonight wouldn’t be any different.

So I jumped.

~~~~~~~

We were in the heat of the battle, bullets flew past as we hid behind some crates. They had cornered us. They knew we were coming. Somehow they knew. And they were ready. We barely had anytime to prepare. They had caught us off guard.

Before we could attack, the man had offered us a deal. One that we had shot down. We laughed and he didn’t take it so keenly.

Smoke entered my system as I started to breathe heavier. The damn fool had decided to light it up. I looked over to my right to see a part of the building looking weak. I grabbed someone from my team, who alerted the others and ran over to the wall.

Yelling out a battle cry, I flung myself into it and landed on my shoulder on the other side. Rolling over a bit on the grass and taking in my surroundings, I got up. An explosion was heard before the building collapsed.

Dread started to fill me as I looked on in disbelief.

I was the only one who had survived.

~~~~~~~

Twenty years had passed since that day and I was currently sitting in my office where a meeting was taking place.

“We have had years to come up with something but nothing. We have absolutely NOTHING.” the man cried out, slamming a fist on the table. “Numbers, data, confidential or not. We’ve set out numerous missions and units to search high and low. They’ve always came back empty handed.”

“If they ever came back at all.” My gruff comment sat heavily in the room.

I looked across the long table to the wall, where maps of all kinds, documentaries and photos were all scrambled and pinned down.

“It is almost as if they know our every move.” Came a reply from someone else.

The wheels in everyone’s brains could be heard turning.

“That’s because we’re training everyone to do the same things. The enemy knows our every move because he’s seen and documented our missions. He knows how we run things. Think of it as a puzzle. We’re the pieces and he’s figured it out.” A figure slumped in the dark corner came into view when everyone looked at him.

“A'ight smartass, if ya so smart, why donch’a tell us what to do.” A man with a heavy Italian accent shot back at the sudden comment.

I looked over in anger. I thought I told him to stay quiet. The man from the corner locked gazes with me. I narrowed my orbs as a challenge. Smirking, he opened his mouth clearly accepting it.

“We need someone who has fire. Something no one has ever seen before; not even us.” Throwing a dagger, it hit the backwall map with precise aim, landing right in the red circle of our enemy.

“The element of surprise.” Crossing his arms the man made eye contact with me.

“Your favorite battle tactic.” I muttered, my eyes cold and narrowed.

Someone coughed from down the table. I broke our staring contest and gained the mans attention.

“If I may sir,” I nodded my head for him to continue, “I know just the person you’ll need.”


	2. Chapter 1: The Return

It was early January when I had received the invitation. This letter came folded in a white envelope and sealed with a bright red wax inscribed with the CIA emblem. That letter would change my life forever. But I guess I should start from the beginning....

~~~~~~~

It had been a cold afternoon on the ranch, and Astrid had just finished unloading the hay bales for her families livestock. The barn was old and held a lot of memories - good and bad. The day was coming to an end when her five year old younger brother, Garfield, showed up before her.

“Whatch’a doin’?” He had his hands folded behind his back as he gently rocked on the balls of feet to his heels. She shot him a suspicious look. His tuffs of blonde hair looked unkept and knotted.

He was wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and brown pants with a green cape to compliment his appearance. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Our chores.” Came his sisters reply, playfully scorning him. She leaned up against the stable door and dusted off her jeans. They were in charge of the hay bales, and cleaning the stables today, but school would be starting back up for him soon since Christmas had long since passed and she wanted him to have the rest of his break chore free.

But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still nag him about it.

“Oh, yeah,” his face fell once he heard that, “well are you done? Do you wanna play space now?” His smile overtook his frown and he looked up with hopeful blue eyes. He had been trying to get her to play ‘space’ with him all day.

Astrid thought about it. She still had to groom the horses and switch out their water but she could do that later she supposed. She noted the exhaustion in her bones and came to the conclusion that she needed a break anyway.

Their parents were workaholics. Both home agents who helped people find their dreamhouses. They rarely had any time for their two kids, and when they did, it was to drill them on how to improve their lives by working and working.

They had to get things done. Always needed to have straight A’s and proper manners. It was almost like they wanted their children to hate them for neglection. Although she secretly knew she could never hate them.

The Hoffersons lived on a farm in the country, which meant there were a lot of things that needed to be done. The stables needed cleaning, every animal needed to be fed and the yard was to be properly tended to.

The vegetables would be picked near harvest season and taken to the market to sell. But that was nearly 8 months from now and they weren’t worried about that.

Astrid never had a childhood or at least not like many other children. The earliest memory she has was her mother and father teaching her how to complete tasks around the farm.

Astrid has strained night and day to make sure Garfield doesn’t feel the way she had. Neglected.

The only time she felt attention was when her Uncle would come to visit. They would play in the backyard for hours. They would go on space adventures and she would ride on his shoulders as they goofed around.

He taught her how to ride a horse and play the piano. They would color in her My Little Pony coloring book and he wouldn’t say anything.

Astrid looked over the hill and down to the white farm house at the bottom where their parents were nowhere to be seen. Heaving a sigh and ignoring her aching joints, she brushed her bangs behind her ear and nodded.

“Sure, Garf, do you want to be the astronaut? I can be the alien again-” a smile overtook her tired facial features as Garf disappeared down the hill, his cape flowing behind him. He was muttering something about spaceships and stars.

“You know, your mom and dad are going to be mad if they find you slacking.” Astrid whipped her head around in surprise.

“Uncle Finn!” She gasped in astonishment. Her uncle had been more of a father figure to her than her actual father was. And his sudden absence in her life for the past five years took a hit on her.

He finished climbing the hill and smiled. She walked over and threw her arms around him for a hug. “It’s so good to see you again Uncle.” She could feel him smile as he returned the hug.

He drew back and stood her at arms length. He looked her over and started to tear up. “I haven’t seen you in years my little star. Look how grown up you are. Eighteen. It is so hard to believe you are eighteen.”

Uncle Finn works for the government which means he is away for most of the year. We used to see him around holidays but he hasn’t been able to get away from work for the past few years.

Astrid rolled her eyes and gave a low chuckle. “Uncle, it’s only been five years. Stop making it seem as if you’ve been gone for ages. Although we have missed you a great deal.” She gave a small smile as their reunion took place in the same spot they said goodbye last time.

Five years ago, she stood on this exact hill, outside of the barn. The horses were neighing and the kittens were lapping at the milk she had left them that morning. She was braiding her hair after she took it out due to the wind. She had just gotten back from taking her horse for a jot.

Hearing footsteps approach her, she turned her attention to her right.

“Hello, Uncle.” She smiled and missed the sad far off look in his eyes. He returned the smile and waved her over.

“Come here my little star. I have something to tell you.” Astrid took a couple steps forward but stopped once she caught drift of the familiar sight in his orbs. “Uncle?” Dread filled her slightly as she figured what would happen next.

This always happens.

“I...” Uncle Finn couldn’t seem to find the right words to use. He has said goodbye to her so many times before, but it didn’t make this any easier.

Uncle Finn had started to feel as if Astrid was his own daughter. “I’m so sorry but I believe i’m going to have to have to leave now.”

Astrid looked down in disappointment. “Yeah, I guess Christmas has passed. Hasn’t it?” Silence blanketed them like the thin blanket of snow covered the ground. “When will you come back?” came a soft whisper.

“I’ll be back next year. Just like always, my little star.”

~~~~~~~

And so Astrid waited. And waited. She waited for five years. Five very long years. But he never returned.

She took this time to examine him. His hair was thinning and was becoming noticeably gray. His blue orbs weren’t as bright as they used to sparkle and his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Wrinkles could be spotted as if his job was taking a toll on him. Which it most likely was. He was 50 years old but looked older and sufficiently more tired since the last time Astrid had seen him.

“Are you alright Uncle Finn?” Astrid asked in concern. She felt someone take her leg in their embrace. Looking down Astrid noticed the blonde curls of her brother.

She brushed some of Garfs’ hair out of his eyes. “Hey bud, you remember Uncle Finn right?” He looked up with his bright blue eyes. There was no way he could remember, for he was just a baby.

But Astrid wanted her Uncle to feel a little better. He gave a quick nod and looked back over to Uncle Finn. He leaned down so he was at better height and spoke up.

“Hey comet! How’s it going?” Garf giggled and ran over to the crouched Finn and gave him a hug around the neck. Finn stood up with Garf in his arms and looked back down at the white house.

Astrid followed his gaze and saw their mother waving her arms. She cuffed her hands around her mouth and shouted something. It sounded along the lines of dinner, but came more out like a muffled ‘inner’ because they were so far away.

Uncle Finn set Garf down and said, “How about you run along so I can talk to your sister for a second.”

However Garf stayed put and looked back at Astrid, uncertainty shone in his eyes. Astrid moved her hands in the motion towards their house.

“Garf, don’t you see?” Astrid started off in a panicked voice, “Our rocket ship is under attack by an evil space alien!” She pointed to mom who was still waving her arms to and fro, trying to catch their attentions.

“Oh no! We need to save our ship! Astronaut Garfield is on it! I’m coming!” The sound of Garf’s voice trailed off as he booked it down the hill and towards the back porch.

“Right behind you Garf!” Astrid yelled after him. She turned around and walked back over to the barn. She took one of the doors and Finn took the other one and together slid them shut. Astrid lowered the piece of wood into place, locking the barn.

“Thanks for the help.” Astrid showed him a smile of gratitude.

He returned it and nodded his head in the direction of the house, indicating to follow him. They steered right of the barn and took the dirt road down the hill to flat land.

“First and most important, Astrid, I cant begin to account for how truly sorry I am. I told you i’d come back and I...” Astrid sighed a hefty sigh.

“It’s alright Uncle Finn I understand-” She was abruptly cut off.

“No, don’t you dare say it’s okay! Because I know it, you know it, everyone knows it,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “I should have come back to visit. Your parents are barely around because of work, and you guys relied on me. And for that I am sorry. But there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

Finn paused in his walk. Astrid halted and looked at him in curiosity. He open his coat and pulled something out from an inside pocket.

“I know you want to know what has kept me from visiting for five years. And I will explain everything. Well, technically everything will be explained when you read this. I’ve told you how I work for the government and the CIA, yes?” He continued when he witnessed the slight nod from Astrid.

“Well recently, we had our agents take on a mission...” tense silence overtook the conversation.

“We haven’t heard anything since.” Astrid took in a sharp breath at that.

“I would never put you in harms way, but our agent numbers are dwindling and we need new recruits. This letter will tell you everything you’ll need to know.” Astrid looked down to see, in fact, her uncle was holding a letter.

This letter was neatly folded in a white envelope with a red waxed seal of the CIA emblem. She grasped hold of it and ran her fingers over the crisp and proper envelope.

“So, basically, you leave for years and when you need something from us you come back.” Astrid said in a monotoned voice.

“What? No! Astrid, I remember you telling me, years ago that you wanted out, you wanted adventure and to explore. Astrid I would never use you for anything. How could you even think that?” Astrid’s gaze was skeptical and in disbelief.

“Astrid, listen, I know you don’t want to go to college.” Shock overtook her features.

“How...how did you know...?” Astrid stammered out. Uncle Finn let out a tired breath.

“Astrid, as your uncle, i’m not going to lie to you. You’re an open book, kid. I’ve seen the college letters in the trash. The emails you’ve deleted, the calls you’ve declined. But you can’t live on this farm forever, little star.” Astrid scoffed.

“Read the letter, Astrid. I’ll give you a week. I leave on Friday.” Uncle Finn placed his hand on her shoulder. She had definitely had a growth spurt since the last time he’d seen her. She had been a 5′2 thirteen year old; now a 5′7 eighteen year old.

“Come on, little star. I think I hear your mom yelling at you already for being late.” Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he let go and continued walking towards the house.

Astrid stood still for another second. None of this made sense. She looked at the letter once more. But then again, when did anything in her life make sense?


	3. Chapter 2: Waffles

Dinner that night was quiet in the Hofferson house. Excluding the normal ‘pass the butter’ or ‘where’s the salt’. Mrs. Hofferson had made a pot roast with some green beans and steaming mashed potatoes. Astrid looked at her plate and rolled her beans around by her fork.

The clatter of forks against plates was the only thing to be heard which was causing an uneasy feeling to grow in the pit of her stomach. The scene of what happened only moments before were still sharply repeating themselves in her mind.

After Uncle Finn had left, Astrid fiddled with the parchment of paper. She was conflicted with herself on whether she should open it or not. Gusts of wind became colder by the second as the sun dipped lower behind the house.

But Astrid welcomed the cold with open arms. It was the only thing she felt at the moment. Her brain was working over time trying to figure out the meaning behind all of this. She was happy her uncle was back, right? She had missed his advice and their time together. But the way he never met her eyes for very long told her he was feeling something and couldn’t meet her gaze.

That man was a riddle. As Astrid had grown up, the more she realized this. Because she hadn’t seen him in years she had had time to distance herself and rethink everything. Now he was back and something was nagging at her.

Shaking the feeling off, she drew a breath and folded the letter in her back pocket. She turned and walked along the fence to the back porch.

She slid the sliding doors apart and stepped in. Her mother was setting the table and Garfield was playing with action figure astronauts by the TV. Uncle Finn and her father were nowhere in sight.

Breathing a sigh of relief she scurried out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs. Walking past her fathers office, she heard muffled voices whispering back and forth. They sounded as if they were in the heat of an argument. Nosey is a bad trait, this Astrid knew.

But as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.

She leaned in closer to the door and place her ear on the door. She was correct. It sounded like Her father and Uncle were in a heated discussion. She didn’t hear all of the conversation but she heard a few words hear and there.

Things like: ‘Mission’, ‘battle’, ‘surprise’ , ‘need’, ‘Director’, ‘immediately’, ‘time’.

Whatever they were arguing about sounded important and utterly boring. Rolling her eyes she huffed and continued her journey to her room.

Upon entering, she placed the letter between two picture frames on her dresser and stalked off into her bathroom to get ready.

Astrid splashed water on her face and dried it off. She looked at herself in the mirror.

To put it kindly, she looked like a wreck. Her hair was falling out of her braid, and her crystal blue eyes looked worn out and tired. After gaining enough courage, she left the bathroom and sauntered down to dinner.

Where she was currently sitting. Her mother tapped her on her shoulder which snapped her out of her thoughts and back to reality. “Yes?”

Her mother rolled her eyes and nodded to the rest of the table which were all staring at her in anticipation. Clearing her throat, Astrid said, “Is something wrong?”

Her father repeated the question. “Your uncle over here was just asking if you and Garfield wanted to go into town tomorrow. Since your mother and I have an important meeting to attend.”

Astrid swallowed her attitude and bit her tongue. How badly she wanted to say ‘of course you do’, but instead she replied, “Oh, uhm, sure, that’d be nice.” and looked back to her food.

Everyone had gone back to eating in silence. Astrid stood up, taking her plate with her, “It was a really long day today, I think i’m going to ahead to bed now. Thank you for dinner tonight mama.” She kissed her parents on the cheeks and walked over to the sink.

Placing her plate, cup and utensils down to be washed, she turned on her heel and exited the room.

~~~~~~~

Stepping into her shower, she let the dirt and grime wash down the drain. If only she could wash the letter down the drain. Uncle Finn’s words struck a chord with her. Ones that she just can’t seem to get past.

“You’re an open book, kid."

“...you can’t live on this farm forever, little star...”

It is true, she had no intention of leaving the farm. She has a special connection with the land and animals around her, it’d be hard to let go. She never planned on going to college, because if she left, then Garf would be all alone. He wouldn’t have someone to grow up with. She refused to let that happen.

Sure she thought about taking online classes but then she’d have to pick a career, and that task seemed daunting.

She’s tried talking about it to her parents, but every time she brought the subject up, they always tried to push her towards things she doesn’t want to do.

She doesn’t have any idea what her career will be but she knows it won’t be what they keep throwing at her.

Turning off the water, she took her wet hair into her hands and squeezed the excess water out.

Not leaving the farm would also mean not leaving her parents and that was a very, big no. Sure she loved them, but she’s not so keen on living with them until her final days.

Another thing that pulled at her heart was the longing for adventure. She wanted to get out in the world and explore.

See new things, meet new people. Something she’s always wanted to do was travel. But it was always out of reach. It was either too dangerous or too expensive.

Astrid reached for her towel and wrapped it around her thin figure. She stepped out of the shower and stood in front of her sink and mirror. She wiped some of the fog off the glass with her arm and looked at herself.

Now that she really looked, she saw something she had missed before. Her eyes didn’t twinkle like they used to. They were dull and they closely imitated a blanket of fog. Cold and dreary.

Like her.

~~~~~~~~

She tied her robe to her body as she brushed her teeth. Walking over to her vanity, she grabbed some shorts and a sweatshirt and retreated back into the bathroom.

After spitting and putting her respected clothes on, she opened her door. A gust of wind hit her from the open window. Her curtains blew askew.

Goosebumps arose on her milky skin as she strutted over to close it. After hearing it hit the sill, she clicked the lock in place.

Before she had the chance to turn away, something had caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

The letter was neatly sitting on the floor, taunting her to pick it up. The wind must've carried it away from the resting place she had it once in.

She crouched low and firmly took it in her grasp. She examined it, turning it over and staring. Tempted to open it and read the secrets hidden inside.

But once again Astrid decided to ignore the nag and instead open the drawer to her desk that held every letter that Uncle Finn had written her over the past years. Those too, had stopped appearing for five years.

Tossing the CIA envelope inside the drawer, she hastily shut it before the feeling of curiosity would grow too strong to overcome.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention to her bed. Pulling the covers back, and laying the decorative pillows next to the wall, she pulled her hair back into a messy bun. She reached over to turn off her lamp but stopped before she could, when a voice sounded throughout the room.

“I know you want to, little star.” Whipping her head over to her bedroom door, she saw Uncle Finn standing there in the ghost of the light.

“What the hell are you doing?” Astrid yelped. When she was younger, having her uncle whisp her off to bed had been a treat, but with everything going on, she just felt invaded.

“I am not six anymore, uncle. That’s the next room over. Goodnight.” She reached for her lamp once more, planning on turning in for the night, hoping he would get the hint and leave.

“Just hear me out,” Astrid groaned and was about to protest but, “please.” she heard the desperation in his voice. Giving up, she turned her body and faced him.

“If it’s about that stupid letter, you might as well let it go. I’m not opening it up any time soon.” she spoke with steady stubbornness laced in her tone.

Finn walked over and sat at the foot of her bed. “I know. I just don’t want you to close all of your doors. This could be the thing you’re missing.”

Astrid looked away. “What ‘thing’ am I missing uncle?” Blue eyes meeting blue eyes. Both tired, both stubborn.

“Adventure, Astrid. Freedom. That letter is your ticket out of this place. To live your life I can so desperately see you trying to do.”

“I’m not trying-” Uncle Finn cut her off.

“You’re not giving yourself a chance, Astrid. It’s hard to know where you stand...” Astrid drew in a breath.

“...when you only look out one window.” Astrid gave Uncle Finn a look from under her lashes. He nodded his head and patted her knee.

“Now get some rest. Busy day tomorrow.” He stood up and walked to her door, stopping and turning around once more. “Wonder, Astrid. Don’t think. Thinking will get you nowhere. But wondering might just take you to the universe.” and he shut the door.

With that in her head, Astrid reached over and turned off her lamp. Bringing her comforter to her chin, she closed her eyes, and let her mind wonder.

~~~~~~~  
Astrid awoke the next morning feeling more exhausted than she had been the night before. Groaning, she sat up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, raising her arms over her head in a long stretch. Placing her face in her hands, she stood from where she just was.

Astrid proceeded to walk into her bathroom to take care of business. After brushing her teeth to rid her mouth of morning breath, she stared at the reflection looking back.

Her hair was all over the place and strangled pieces of hair were falling out of her bun but besides the normal morning look, she felt fine.

Pulling sweats over her legs and tucking her tank top in, she opened her door and left the room. Passing her fathers office, she once again heard voices. Shrugging it off as another meeting, Astrid continued her walk down the stairs and to the kitchen.

“Good morning mom, Garf.” Acknowledging her presence with a nod, her mother continued to talk into the earpiece located around her ear. Garf turned around in his chair holding his fork.

“Asty! We’re going to the town with uncle today!” He said with the biggest smile. Astrid smiled back and gave a low chuckle. She ruffled his hair as she took a plate and started to spoon eggs onto it.

“I need to tend to the animals first bud, remember?” the smile on his face fell before it brightened again.

“Maybe if I help, it’ll go quicker!” His smile reached his eyes. Astrid laughed and sat down.

“Alright buddy, just close your mouth when you eat.” Astrid said in slight disgust.

“You close your mouth when you eat.” he shot back to her in a challenging tone.

Astrid rolled her eyes and went to take a bite of her breakfast knowing full well that she already does. Her mother swooped in and placed a plate of blueberry waffles onto the table. She pointed to the plate and then to the stairs signaling Astrid to take them to her father.

Giving her mother a nod to indicate she knew what to do, Ingrid kissed the top of her children’s heads and wandered out of the room. Her cup of black coffee steaming in her hands.

Astrid enjoyed her breakfast and light conversation between her and her brother. Taking both empty plates to the sink, she washed them off and placed them into the dishwasher.

“Why don’t you go ahead to the barn and check up on Sir Muffins and her kittens?” Astrid suggested to Garf. His brown eyes sparkled in excitement. He hopped off his chair and scurried to the door, grabbing some shoes to wear.

“I'll be right out, I just have to give daddy and Uncle Finn their breakfasts.” Garf only nodded and was out the door before he had time to answer. Sir Muffins had just delivered her litter of kittens and Garfield was adamant on naming them.

Taking both plates of waffles in her hands Astrid stalked out of the kitchen and made her way towards her fathers office.

Upon arriving, she adjusted the plates in her arms and knocked waiting patiently for a response. The talking quieted as she removed her knuckles from the wood.

It remained silent for a minute before Astrid finally spoke up. “Uh, dad? Mom told me to bring you guys your breakfasts. Is it okay if I come in?” Talking resumed in hushed voices. Rolling her eyes, she took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle.

Turning the handle inward, a clicking sound could be heard as she pushed the wooden door open. All eyes shot to her figure within a second as she stepped into the room.

“Uh, I have waffles...” her voice trailed off awkwardly as she looked between her father and Uncle Finn. A TV was placed on the wall to her right that faced her fathers desk. Speaking of which, he sat on a black rolling chair with uncle Finn off to the side.

The TV was on and a stocky man sat on the other side. He had a muscular build and a red beard. Another man stood beside him but the lighting made it too difficult to clearly see him. It looked like he had green eyes, Astrid took into notice. But shrugged it off because it didn't concern her at all.

The temperature in the room was warm and the tension was so thick Astrid guessed she might have to cut through it to reach her destination.

Someone clearing their throat snapped Astrid out of her daze. She made eye contact with her father who stared at her with such intensity, she thought she felt herself shrink away.

Looking behind her, she gulped. No going back now.

“Astrid,” much to her dismay, her fathers calm tone made Astrid’s cheeks redden in embarrassment as she could predict what would happen next. Calm was not something anyone would describe her parents as. “what is the one rule I have when my office door is closed?”

“That no one is to enter without permission.” Astrid answered lowly.

“Then why are you in here? Did I give you permission?” Her father’s eyes were fixed on the papers on his desk as he talked.

“No, sir, you did not. But no offense, i’d take your wrath over moms any day. And it was either give you guys your waffles or mom was going to hunt me down and beat my ass. I swear she was eyeing me like a hawk from down the hallway and in another room. Over waffles.”

"I can hear you!" All three people in the office paled at the sound of Mrs. Hofferson. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

Keeping her gaze on her father, she continued. “And I knocked, technically. So, that’s on you buddy for not answering.”

Rolling his eyes he cracked a smile, the initial fear of his wife gone. “I’d choose life too. Jut set them down over there. Thanks.” Giving him a nod in acknowledgment, she walked over to the side desk and placed them down.

The desk had an old map carved into the wood for decoration. Astrid always admired how intricate and rustic everything in the house was.

Turning to leave she walked to the exit. Hearing her father start talking again, she shut the door. Not before hearing the mystery man say something along the lines of having the same sassy wit as her father. She couldn’t place it but it was almost as if she knew that man on the TV from somewhere.

Rubbing her head in mild-confusion, she realized that she still had her bed head. Which meant she still had on her pajamas. Reluctantly she lowered her eyes to take in her apparel.

Groaning in embarrassment at her correctness, she continued down the hall to get ready for the day.


	4. Chapter 3: Johann

Astrid looked around her. It had been so long since she found herself in the town. Normally she had vegetables and livestock selling but that was about once a month.

And that was always a job. She never had any time to relax and enjoy what was around her. Families came from all around and set up booths. People had clothes, food, chickens and cows. You name it, someone here had it.

Everyone was just milling around as uncle Finn drove their old pick up truck down the street. Astrid looked out the window and watched the people pass. Garf sat in between them and kept rambling on about something but never failing to repeatedly exclaim how excited he was to visit town.

The sun was sitting behind the clouds which made the day seem sluggish and gray. It was around noon when they arrived to the Black Markets.

Parking off to the side, the three exited. Garf took hold of Astrid’s hand and walked beside her whereas Uncle Finn took to the other side of Garf.

“Such a day to be out, Miss Astrid.” A shrill voice sounded behind the three. She turned her head and a light smile overtook her features.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, friend.” Astrid let go of her brothers hand to give this man a hug. She stepped back and motioned to him.

“This is Trader Johann. Johann, this is my uncle Finn, and this,” Johann cut her off with a delighted gasp and clap of the hands.

“Must be the famous Garfield that Miss Astrid always talks about!” Astrid nodded her head in agreement.

“Yes he is.” The four of them started walking again. Uncle Finn and Garf took the lead with Astrid and Johann behind them.

Astrid paused and turned her attention back towards Johann. “What are you doing back in this place? I didn’t think you had another load of things to sell for another month or so?” Curiosity was laced in her tone. A couple of months back Johann had enthusiastically boasted about his upcoming trip to Europe.

Johann raised a brow in aspiration and let out a defeated sigh as he spoke again. “My, my Miss Astrid. I had heard terrible rumors about something and I had to come back and see if things were alright.” His voice dipped low.

Astrid blinked in confusion. “Rumors? What...rumors?”

Johann shook his head. “I had begun my travels again. Currently situated at the next market, preparing on leaving for the next town over before my trip. Packed things up, ready to hit the road when one of my colleagues came running from the forest.”

His eyes widened. “Claimed to have seen something horrible. Terrible! He started talking in tongues. It was almost as if he was in utter shock. Using foreign words I had never heard before. Describing things I’d never yet imagined. Thought he’d gone mad. Bonkers even!” Johann swirled his fingers around his temple in an indication of crazy.

“What was he saying?” Astrid asked intrigued and trying to speed up his story.

“He was muttering something about,” Johann shuddered as he took a deep breath, his gray eyes looked distraught. “...an eye.” He whispered moving his hands in front of his face in astonishment.

It was Astrid’s turn to raise a brow. She rolled her eyes and covered her mouth as she snorted.

“An ‘eye’? Really Johann?” Astrid hadn’t taken him seriously.

Johann was agitated that she didn’t believe him but masked it before she could say anything else. “Aye. I laughed too, thinking he was crazy. But he had some parchment of paper. I helped him dig it out of his coat pocket before he collapsed onto the floor, dead. He had gone missing a few days prior. Doctors said he was poisoned.”

“I didn’t want to believe a word he said. But something pulled at me. The footprints that he had left, trailed the way I had come. Being an explorer, I followed them. They led me here. To the Black Market.”

“A few men were already talking when I found myself wandering in. There was a new persona in town. And he was living under your roof. I feared the worst for your family Miss Astrid. I am just so relieved to find you all okay.” Johann finished with a sad smile.

Astrid hesitated with the newfound information. Johann was a wanderer. An explorer. She had heard one too many stories from him to believe a word he said.

They were merely acquaintances. Nothing more, nothing less.

Johann had taken her under his wing when she would come to the town to sell. But that didn’t mean anything. He was a strange person who was lost in the world, trying to find something that was equally lost.

Trust wasn’t a word she would use to describe this man and she didn’t believe the story but that doesn’t mean he was necessarily wrong either.

There had to be another reason he came back. That being said, if he didn’t leave the market at all. Astrid caught Johann’ s eye in which he gestured to her uncle in front of them.

No. There was no way Uncle Finn was trouble. They were family. But then again, why would he leave for 5 years and all of a sudden reappear for no reason.

Except, maybe there was a reason.

She drew in a sharp breath remembering what they talked about the other day. He had mentioned briefly that some of the secret agents had gone missing on missions.

He hadn’t gone into detail with it but from the far away look, she noticed when they spoke, something was troubling him. This was too much to be a coincidence.

Turning to Johann, she nodded her appreciation. “Thank you, Johann. I can always count on you to have my back. I’ll be careful and when I tell my father about this-”

Johann cut her off in an alarmed panic. “No!” Uncle Finn, Garf and a few people passing looked at the duo in a strange manner.

Johann smiled back apologetically and cleared his throat, talking quieter. “Sorry, Miss Astrid. But this conversation simply cannot leave our bubble. Promise me it will strictly stay confined between you and I?” Astrid’s hands curled behind her back.

He looked at her hesitantly, waiting. Swallowing the hard lump that formed in her throat, Astrid crossed her fingers.

“Okay, Johann. It’s safe between you and I.” Bidding goodbyes and safe travels, he disappeared into the crowd with a delighted smile.

Catching up to her family, they proceeded to continue further into the market with Astrid looking back to where Johann had just disappeared.

~~~~~~~

The sun was dipping below the trees, which casted bright glows of pinks, oranges and blues. Garf had fallen asleep in Uncle Finns arms as they walked back to the car. He had wrapped his thin arms around Finn's neck and laid his head limply in his neck, snoring gently.

The majority of the people had started to clear out, which left the few store clerks to close. Astrid adverted her gaze across the clearing looking for a certain someone but to no avail.

No one had seen or heard of Johann for the rest of the day. The conversation that had gone on between the two of them had not escaped Astrid’s mind all afternoon. She kept a close eye on her uncle but he hadn’t acted strange at all.

In fact, he was being just as nice and considerate as she remembered him to be all those years ago. He had helped a lady, who had fallen, stand back up again. He even bought toys for Garf and a necklace for Astrid all from the kindness in his heart.

He paid for a tiny boy to get a hot dog when his family next to us ran out of quarters. He never once looked ashamed for acting like he was in space with Garf the entire time. Not one complaint as Garf took him on a 'moon landing' adventure through the crowds.

There was just no way her uncle could be bad news. She refused to believe that.

“-trid...Astrid?” Snapping out of the slight daze she was in, she looked over to her left. Uncle Finn had been trying to get her attention.

Blinking away her weariness she looked at him expectantly. “I’m sorry, what?” Her uncle sighed and unlocked the car.

“I was just about to ask you if you had something on your mind. You looked more lost than a monkey on the ocean.” Astrid knew he was trying to lighten the mood so she relented and chuckled a little.

He placed Garf in the middle seat and buckled him in. Astrid hopped into her seat, closing the door before proceeding to do the same. She let Garf rest his head on her arm as she adjusted herself into a comfortable position.

“No, Uncle,” she needed to think of something. “I was just thinking about the letter you gave me.”

Starting the car up, Finn looked at her.

“Yeah? What about it?” Curiosity laced in his question. She could understand why he was curious. Just earlier in the day she had wanted nothing to do with it and now she was bringing it back up.

“Um, whether or not I should read it.” Astrid stammered out before turning her head to look out her window. It was unspoken, but Astrid was sure she had made it clear with her clipped tone. That was the end of that conversation.

Or not.

“Why are you so conflicted all of a sudden?” Uncle Finn kept prodding on. He took the silence as an invitation to continue when in reality Astrid was choking on her words. “Don’t you trust me?”

It was a whisper. But it was there. Astrid closed her eyes and laid her head against the window. The lull of the truck pulling her down. She didn’t know what to say.

Her heart was screaming yes, he’s her uncle, they loved each other very much and she trusted him with her life. But her mind was reluctant. Not a no, not a yes.

Truth be told, Astrid didn’t know anymore. She didn’t know what to do with her life. She didn’t know if she’d ever leave the farm. She didn’t know what was in that letter or why it was so important. She didn’t know who she trusted or who she didn’t. Then there were things that didn’t make any sense.

Time. Her uncle just randomly shows up the exact moment Johann tells her something about a killing.

Coincidence?

Then there’s her father. Never once has she thought about it. But no one was aloud in that office unless her father or uncle were in there. In other words, the doors were always shut and locked; the key with her father. That caps heavy suspicion.

And who was that character on the TV when she walked in? And why was he so familiar?

She didn’t know a lot anymore.

But she did know one thing. The second she gets home, that letter was being ripped open and she was going to try and make sense of this sudden tornado she was just thrown in.

“I know you’re not asleep Little Star. That’s why I’m going to keep talking.” Uncle Finn just wouldn’t give up. He had five more days to try and persuade Astrid to open the piece of paper situated in her desk. And although petty, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

“Things happen for a reason. That’s why we’re all the way we are. I have been trained by professionals my whole life to know right from wrong. I listen to my gut more than I listen to my own self. And currently, my gut is telling me that, that Johann character is bad news. I don’t know what he said but...” he continued talking however, to Astrid, he was just another noise.

There are a lot of ‘I don’t knows’ going around and she was getting dizzy trying to keep up.

Astrid didn’t know how to feel about Johann. But in the same breath, she didn’t know how to feel about her uncle either. She felt as if everything was proceeding in slow motion.

It was at this moment when Astrid started to will the tuck to travel faster down the road.


	5. Chapter 4: Decisions

Neighing could be heard in the distance as Astrid settled herself upon the barn loft, hay crunching from the sudden added weight. The three of them had returned home about an hour ago but Astrid had to help finish making dinner. That put a delay into her letter opening. After the meal was finished and the table was clean is when she took off up the stairs. She couldn’t wait any longer.

Once again, her father’s office doors were closed. Normally she wouldn’t care too much but with everything happening around her, it’s hard not to start assuming.

Barging into her room, she threw her desk drawer open and snatched the first envelope on top. She shut and locked her door, comfortably positioning herself on her bed.

She took a deep breath. Her uncle said that her questions would be answered once she opened the letter.

Rips could be heard as she tore apart the seal. The red wax symbol on the back peeled off. Her blood ran cold as she grabbed the folded piece of paper. Her delicate hands nimbly working on what was in front of her.

It was an acceptance letter, matching what a college might send to an awaiting student. A sharp intake of her breath signaled she had begun to skim the page.

’Congratulations Astrid Hofferson,

You have been recruited into Berks CIA Secret Agent Agency Training program...,′

Astrid’s eyes ran over the letter, reading every paragraph twice and not leaving a sentence unseen. Blue eyes grew wide with shock and it left her breathless. She took hold of one of her jackets and made sure to firmly grasp the invitation before racing out of her room.

Astrid flung herself down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back doors. Her legs carried her to the top of the hill, where she calmed her running strides down to a walking pace. Huffing, she hauled herself up the ladder and onto the loft, where she was currently stationed.

Her legs hung off the side and she could look below her into the horse stalls. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Her hands ran over her forehead, and down her braid where she gripped her neck. The sun had set and darkness had over came everything.

Looking down at her shaking hands, she opened it up again. The CIA had written her a letter claiming she had been recruited into their program, the very program that started in less than two weeks.

She needed to clear her head. Which is why she decided to come to the barn. Astrid never pondered on what she was going to do with her life. She was always just so content on staying and helping out on the farm.

Hypocritical of her, I know.

But she doesn’t want to leave Garf by himself. However on the flip side, if her uncle really is a bad person, then this would be a great opportunity to keep an eye on him. She looked back at the letter in her hand. It stated that the program started on January 14th and ended May 24th. That was roughly 20 weeks.

Looking out into the night, she wrapped her brain around her remaining thoughts. Her uncle leaves in 5 days. Whether or not she’d go along with him. This entire situation is too bizarre to try and comprehend.

She had a decision to make. One that would alter her life forever. Or at least a few months.

She came to the conclusion that she’d gather as much information as she could tomorrow and make her call. She wanted her body to move. She urged herself to climb down the ladder and walk home. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Something still nagged at her. Something her uncle said by the car today. Why was she so conflicted? At first she brushed it off as nerves. She was just nervous, right? But she didn’t feel nervous. The usual butterflies never appeared in her stomach like they typically do when she’s nervous. And besides, what would she have to be nervous about?

And she never once started to fiddle with her braid - something else she does when she’s nervous. She was definitely skeptical of everything. She always is. That’s just how she goes about things. But that wasn’t why she was conflicted.

So why was she? And once again, Astrid didn’t know. She never seemed to know. With that final thought, she motivated herself to go home and dive into her inviting bed.

~~~~~~~

The next morning, you could find the blue eyed, blond haired teenager sitting at her computer and vigorously flipping through websites searching for answers. She had hoped to get some sleep but she had been too anxious to get even a wink before she was up at her desk.

She looked up the CIA official website, the agents, and recent missions. She gazed, strenuously studying YouTube videos of the program and numerous people training. She’s been up almost all night researching documentaries and interviews.

But she wasn’t getting what she wanted. She was still thirsty for information. Why had they recruited her? Was it similar to the armies draft? Or was it because they’ve studied her. How have they studied her? Her Uncle?

Groaning in frustration she rubbed her eyes. The sun was just beginning to rise. It appeared to be throwing up different colors over the horizon. She fixated her attention back on the screen in front of her.

The letter remained situated beside her. She must be going mad if she thought she’d somehow gain new knowledge by reading the same thing a hundred times over, Astrid thought. There was someplace she hadn’t checked yet.

A devious smile made it’s way onto her face. Collecting her thoughts, she strode over to her door opening it as silently as she could. Peeking her head out, she saw the hallway clear. Tiptoeing over the squeaky floor boards, she proceeded forward until she stood at two massive oak doors.

The doors that held many secrets within.

The shadows they created over her were daunting at first but her stubbornness wouldn’t let her turn back. Grabbing ahold of the handles, she turned them in but they wouldn’t budge. Meaning they were locked.

Sighing in frustration, she looked around her. Her eyes lit up as her mind clicked with an idea. She hustled back into her room and rushed for the bathroom. She pulled out a drawer and shuffled around her belongings trying to locate something. At the very bottom laid a dull russet colored bobby pin.

Celebrating with a breathy yes, she pressed on towards her obstacle once more. Straightening out one of the sides, she inserted the end into the keyhole. Astrid then located the pattern the key would take and followed it around until she heard the click; and the door inched open.

~~~~~~~  
For the second time that morning, she had claimed a victory. Taking another deep breath, she pushed on walking into the room confidently. Astrid took a quick glance at the clock on the wall. It was nearing six which meant she had maybe half an hour before her family started to wake up.

Not wasting anymore time, she ran to his chair and plopped down. She took everything in. The desk was littered with stacks of paper. A messy calendar lined the top of the desk with dates, meetings and times scribbled on sloppily. Pencils and pens were collected in a mug off to the side and his closed laptop placed neatly inside his desk drawer. She pulled it out and maybe with some luck she could hack in.

The computer was locked with a password. Biting her lip, she kept looking. Pulling out the numerous drawers he had, she skimmed through all of the folders. Nothing but information of random houses. Her father took part in a lot of house selling. You could say he was a real estate agent who worked from home. That’s why he and her mother always wore the ear pieces. And why they spent most of the time on devices.

Shaking her head, she closed that drawer and turned to the last one, tugging on it. However, that one did not budge.

Holy crap, you’ve got to be kidding me, how many locks does one person need, Astrid thought. Unless they really were trying to keep something hidden.

This particular draw was locked shut. Surprise, surprise.

Fiddling with her bobby pin again, she wiggled it around. Luck had apparently been on her side today when the drawer popped open. Sighing in relief she put the bobby pin back into her pocket.

She was about to pull it open when something flashed on the screen of the laptop. The drawer now completely forgotten, she turned her attention towards the screen.

It was an email notification sent from... Astrid squinted her eyes to get a closer look at who it was from. Haddock. It was sent from the Haddocks. Curiosity overtook her senses and she clicked on the notification.

It read,

’Good day, Mr. Sven Hofferson.

I hope your brother is settling in well from the last moment we have spoken to each other. I do wish that I find you both in good health and a coinvent time to discuss many dire cautions.

I am crestfallen to announce that I have inquired new information from some of my men regarding that substance that is making it’s self seen around headquarters.

Have you aspired anything from anyone involving the dragon eye? That brings upon us more confidential topics. Some men have claimed to have witnessed abstract occurrences this past week during night patrol rotations.

We have much to discuss and such little time to commence. Send me a time in which you are able to correspond respectively to the heads of government. I hope this email finds you and your family in good health, that this letter did you all well and I bid you my farewells.

Sincerely,

Haddock, S. The Vast

Director of The Hooligan Unit and Head of before Council.′

Astrid’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It was almost as if she was even more confused than when she first broke in. The dragon eye. What was that? Did it correlate to what Johann was saying? And what did Mr. Haddock mean when he spoke of this ‘substance’? Nothing in this email had anything to do with buying houses either.

Nothing in this email made any sense. How did he know Uncle Finn? What was their relationship? How did it connect with her father? Was the letter he was talking about symbol the letter Uncle Finn gave her? What the heck was headquarters?

Before Astrid could do anything, she heard a noise. And just like that her luck ran out. That noise was footsteps. And it was accelerating down the hall.

Thinking fast, she shut the laptop and shoved it back into the drawer, making sure to close every other drawer in the process. She stood up and made sure everything was put in place. It looked as it did when she arrived. The footsteps got heavier as they made their way towards where she was.

Panicking, she looked around the room. She spotted another door and ran over to it. The door opened up to lead into a bathroom. She bolted inside and shut the door quietly just as she heard shuffling come into the room.

Closing her eyes tightly, Astrid prayed to Odin that they wouldn’t walk into the bathroom. Two new voices entered the room just outside the door. She peeped out of the keyhole to see what was happening.

“Why were these doors open Finn?” Her fathers voice could be heard with the muffled reply of her uncle following, “How would I know Sven. It’s your office. Did you leave it open last night?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I shut and locked it. I never leave them open or unlocked. Things are too valuable to just be sitting around any unconfined space.”

“Maybe you forgot this once-”

“I never forget Finn!” It was apparent that her fathers voice was becoming frustrated.

“Just check the room. See if anything important was moved.” They moved out of sight.

Shuffling of feet told Astrid that they were looking around the room. By the way someone started clicking, she assumed the laptop was being examined. “Finn...” He hummed in response from the other side of the room.

“It’s Stoick,” the room became silent. The email. “He says he has news on the strange solution going around and wants to set up a meeting time.” He scrolled down further, still digesting the email. “He’s found something else too. The dragon eye. This could help us solve that part of the puzzle-”

Silence. Deafening silence.

“He wants to know if Astrid’s received the letter.” Finn drew in a sharp breath.

“I’m trying Sven. I really am. But she as stubborn as they come. I’ve tried to coax her into opening it but” he took a breath which resembled a sigh.

“We’re running out of time Finn.” Astrid could note the tiredness in his voice. “If she accepts, then my baby girl will go through the worst 5 months of her life to go on a suicide mission.”

“If she doesn’t accept...” His voice wavered, “then thousands will die.” Astrid’s eyes grew wide. This wasn’t the answer she had hoped to find. Her father cleared his throat.

“I don’t know what I want her to say, Finn. I know I haven’t said it yet and now that we’re alone I wanted to thank you. If you hadn’t had come, that letter would still be in the vault. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

Astrid leaned her ear against the door straining to hear their voices since they dipped into a whisper.

“That letter will either save her life or end it.” Finn swallowed before continuing.

“But it doesn’t matter what we think; it’s her call. She’ll either answer it or not. That’s not a decision we get to make. She makes it on her own.” Finn placed his hand on Sven’s shoulder. “She’s strong, brother.” Sven nodded and turned to walk off.

“She’s going to accept. Isn’t she.” Sven spoke. Silence overtook them once more when his walking came to a halt.

Although Astrid waited, a response never came. Just like no one came to the bathroom door she was quietly sitting behind.


	6. Chapter 5: Promises

After her father left, Astrid leaned over the sink counter trying to stabilize her breaths. She couldn’t begin to fathom what she had just heard. She looked into the mirror and gripped her hair. What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened.

Knocking at the bathroom door made Astrid jump and gasp. “Little Star, I know you’re in there.” Color drained from her face. She was in big trouble now. Maybe he was just testing her?

He sighed heavily. “Really Astrid. I heard you jump. You can come out now. I promise you won’t be in trouble-” Astrid swung the door open almost hitting his face in the process.

Bright blue eyes locked onto his dull blue ones. “I’m taking it you just heard everything.” It was more of a statement than question. Astrid’s orbs showed great confusion and weariness as she took in the sight of her Uncle. If she had thought she looked bad, her uncle was far worse.

Bags collected under his eyes and it appeared his face was decorated with even more wrinkles than she remembered.

“It’s not exactly what all of that sounded like-” Astrid cut him off sharply. “The hell it was!” Her uncle took a surprised step back at her sudden outburst.

“I heard everything uncle! I heard the part where it’s either me or a thousand people. I heard about this strange substance going around some camp. I heard about how the next 5 moths is going to be absolute torture for me if, if I accept this stupid death wish!” She shoved the letter at his chest with great force. “So yeah, tell me the hell you guys meant if what I heard wasn’t correct!”

Astrid scoffed and shook her head in utter disbelief. “And to think I was actually considering this.” Astrid let go of the letter and turned around ready to head out the door and back to her room. She faced her uncle before leaving. “I trusted you Uncle Finn. I trusted you to have my back. I trusted you to tell me things like this.”

Fuming, Finn locked gazes with her. “Now you stop and listen to me, Astrid! Yeah, I could’ve told you, but I didn’t. Would you have believed me? Would that have changed your answer? I don’t know. But I do know this. I know you were up all night researching. I know you’ve been skeptical about this whole ordeal. I know you’re confused.”

He held up the letter. “I know that if you had said yes, then everything would have been answered. I knew you were in the bathroom, Astrid. I wanted you to hear that. You needed a push in the right direction. Whichever that direction may be.”

Astrid returned his cold glare. “Had you just told me everything from the beginning maybe this wouldn’t be happening right now. Maybe if you had just, I don’t know, been honest with me from the start then we’d already be on a plane flying somewhere, where you all could use me to your dispense!”

She wasn't done though. "What else have you been lying to me about? Huh? Are you even family? Are you the good guy?" She threw her hands up in exasperation.

Her mother and father heard the commotion from the kitchen and decided to see what was happening. They were surprised to find their daughter and Sven’s brother fighting in the office. Ingrid, Astrid’s mother stepped forward and intervened.

“Honey, it wasn’t his fault.” Astrid whipped around and came face to face with her mother.

“Mom?” She was startled. “What do you mean?” Her mother’s eyes were softer than normal as she looked to her daughter. The more Astrid looked, the more she saw how tired her mother looked too. And stressed. In fact, her whole family looked like they hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep for a week.

Confused and tired, Astrid just wanted to go to bed and wake up like this was all some dream she could escape from. But reality settled in. And so did desperation. All she wanted were answers. “What do you mean?” Astrid whispered a little louder in case she hadn’t heard the first time.

“It’s a long story my daughter. Why don’t you go freshen up and meet me outside of the back porch for some coffee and I’ll explain everything.” Her mother’s soft brown orbs looked sincere as she spoke.

And after a while, Astrid nodded her head. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her Uncle looking at the floor, his breaths still coming out rapidly, signaling his anger was still present. Stalking out of the room, she passed her father who stood behind his wife with a tense and far off look.

Shaking her head, she walked down the hall and towards her bedroom not even pausing to hear if they talked amongst themselves after she left. She shut her door, blocking out the world and got ready.

~~~~~~~

She and her mother sat outside on the back porch swing, both cupping their hands around a steaming coffee mug. The air was cold, especially with the sun barley rising.

It was the middle of January but because they lived further south, it didn’t get too cold. They still got snow but not often.

Both females sat in comfortable peace, overlooking the farm and rolling hills. To the right was the vegetable garden and greenhouse which her mother loved to tend to.

To the right was where the barn sat with the animals.

Astrid had changed into dark blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Her mother had put on similar jeans and a sweatshirt. Astrid took this time to study her mother. This was a rare moment she got with her.

Ingrid had medium length dirty blonde hair that was usually clipped into a bun behind her head. She had light brown eyes, which Garf had inherited. Her smile was very motherly and the sun’s glow radiated off of her skin making her stand out. Her ear looked bare without her earpiece.

Closing her eyes Ingrid started talking. “Astrid, do you know what I do as my job?” It was a simple question. At least it should of been. Astrid opened her mouth.

“You’re a real estate agent. You help people find their dream homes.” It sounded as if that were the most obvious thing ever. Her mother kept looking straight out only blinking and smiling.

“That’s your problem my dear. You’re gullible. You believe everything you hear. You accept things the way they are.” She paused. “The way you want them to be.”

Ingrid closed her eyes and smiled bigger taking a deep breath. “Isn’t it just lovely?” Astrid looked at her mother in bewilderment. What was she talking about? And where was this conversation leading to?

“Um...what exactly? And what do you mean about what you said about me?” After awhile and instead of pressing for an answer, she decided to look in the direction her mother was looking in. However she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“The farm.” Ingrid turned and finally made eye contact with Astrid. “You like to look at everything all at once. But by doing that, you miss the tiny beautiful moments.”

“Look again Astrid. But this time really look.” So Astrid shifted her gaze back out in front of them. This is not what Astrid had in mind when her mother said she wanted to talk. But nonetheless, she looked. Tried to really look. Somehow Astrid didn’t think this poetry lesson was going to help.

The sun was making it’s way over the horizon which casted a light glow over the land in front of it. Their two horses grazed the field with natural grace.

The trees blew in the early morning breeze, bare from leaves but still tall and sturdy. Sir Muffins and her kittens were roaming around by the barn. She was teaching her kits how to catch mice.

“What do you see?” Her mother asked in a whisper. Astrid described the things in her line of sight. Her mother nodded but her face never lost its smile. “That’s all well and beautiful but not what i’m seeing.” Astrid rolled her eyes. “That’s because your eyes are closed mother.”

Chuckling, Ingrid brought her mug to her lips and took a sip. “No, Astrid,” she opened up her eyes. “i’m just looking in other places. I look as I listen. I look as I feel. I look as I know.” She took her daughters hand in hers. “I listen to the dreams Garf has the nights prior. I feel the light good morning kisses Sven leaves me when we wake up. I know that my family is beside me. That, my dear, is what’s in my picture.”

Ingrid’s grip on Astrid’s hand grew tighter as she continued. “I want you to ask yourself this: do you look too hard or not hard enough at your picture?”

~~~~~~~

Astrid was smart but in this moment she felt dumber than a box of rocks. The heck was she getting at here?

“My mother and I were very close when I was growing up. I was very lucky to have her in my life. My father was a drunken bastard who abused us.” Her eyes shifted downwards guilty. “I know you and I never got to share special moments like I had with my mom. And for that, I’m sorry. I am so truly sorry.” Her mother let go of her hand.

“Your father got me pregnant with you at seventeen. He was eighteen meaning our relationship was illegal but we’re going to ignore that factor. We had been dating for two years at this point.” She took a shaky breath.

“The day I found out I was carrying you was by far the happiest and scariest day of my life. Realization settled in, unfortunately. My father could never discover that you were a thing or only the gods above would know what he’d do.”

“And then I needed to tell Sven, of course. But I didn’t know how. And I still needed to graduate,” she took a breath, tears forming behind her lids. “But everything aside, my mother stuck beside me through all of it. We left my father before he ever found out, she helped me through the whole pregnancy. We gave you a nursery in the apartment we were renting.”

“We didn’t have a lot of money at the time, but she still managed to buy things for us. Clothes, bibs, dippers. You name it and by some miracle she made sure I had it.”

“She pestered me to tell Sven for about two months. Within those couple of months I remember being so annoyed with her. But looking back, I am so happy she pressured me the way she did. Sven was over the moon. Granted, he wanted to wait until he was older until starting a family but he repeatedly told me how ecstatic he was that it was me carrying his child.”

“He moved in with your grandmother and I. That day, I thought I had everything.” Ingrid had gone silent. She continued to look out over the field as had a distant look in her eyes.

“That is until about a month before delivering you into the world, she feel ill and passed away. I remember that day very clearly. We had made a promise to each other. She was on her death bed, and on her last breath she looked at me and handed me a little box that had been tucked away in her pocket.”

Ingrid reached over to her right and pulled back a tin box. It was shaped like a ring box and wrapped in blue wrapping paper. A little bow sat atop it. It was slightly crushed from the many years and bent in an awkward way but it was special.

“She made me promise her to give this to you when the time was right. She said to not have you open it a minute sooner or a minute later. I didn’t understand at first but,” mother and daughter locked eyes. “I understand now.”

“My mother was with me through the hardest decision of my life, the beginning of my pregnancy. Do I keep you or have an abortion.” Astrid’s heart dropped when she heard that.

“My mother said she’d take me to the doctor where I could decide what I was doing. But she made it clear that she would love me then and no matter what I decided to do.”

“The doctor gave me ultrasound; I heard your heartbeat, Astrid. And I knew. I knew I couldn’t kill you. You were my daughter. When I had told my mom, she burst into tears and admitted that’s what she hoped I would do. She held my hand through everything.”

She gave Astrid a sad smile. “I feel guilty saying it aloud, but I know deep down that had I not heard your heartbeat, you wouldn’t be here right now.” Astrid squeezed her mother’s hand in understanding.

“She couldn’t be there for your birth physically, but she was there; at least her presence was. She never left my side. And looking at you, your pretty blue eyes that you had inherited from your father, I knew I couldn’t give you up for adoption either. That was another option floating around in the air but, I couldn’t do it.” Ingrid made sure her attention was fully on her daughter.

“I can’t make this decision for you. Whether or not you accept that invitation, is for you to decide.” She placed the tiny box in the center of Astrid’s palm and wrapped her hands around it, cupping both her hand and the box.

“But I can promise you Astrid, that I will be there for you every step of the way. I will love you know matter what you do.”

“You never got to meet my mother. But I see a lot of her in you. You have the same determination to do good and the same fire in your soul that motivates you to help others. Now it’s my turn to wish a promise. Astrid,” Ingrid stroked her daughters cheek and tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.

“Promise me that no matter what happens, or what you decide to do, you will always find the beauty in everything; even in the smallest of pictures. Promise me you will always come home when you don’t know where to go. Promise me, you will never stop trying to do good. Because that is you, Astrid. You are strong and noble. But you will need help in life. And that’s okay.”

“Promise me Astrid,” Astrid smiled and took her mothers hand in her own. “I promise.”


	7. Chapter 6: The box

Ingrid had gone back inside to start breakfast leaving Astrid outside on the swing, lost in thought. She fiddled with the box in her hand, pondering on what could be inside. Her mother had kept this thing a secret for 18 years.

She never knew her grandmother because like her mother just explained, she died before she was born. She never knew her grandfather. Every time Astrid or Garf would ask Ingrid, she would always downplay it and change the subject. So after awhile, the two accepted that fact and moved on.

Ingrid had never told Astrid the story she just told. It never occurred to Astrid just how young Ingrid had been when she fell pregnant. She must’ve been so scared. And confused. But not lonely. Because she had her mother. She had Sven, and me.

A lightbulb went off in the young females mind. That’s what she was getting at. Astrid didn’t have a lot of friends growing up.

Starting in elementary, she always loved too sing and play the piano (even though her voice was scratchy and not melodic at all). But the other kids thought that was strange.

At recess, she was always the only girl who wanted to join in football and soccer and kickball. It drove the boys mad when she proved to be better at it than them.

In middle school, she became known as the sarcastic one. She always had a sassy remark but otherwise rather quiet. She didn’t really click with anyone and preferred to endure everything alone with how bossy she tended to get.

Then high school rolled around. She stopped playing the piano the moment she realized Finn wasn’t coming back which meant she strayed from the music department and focused more on the sporty and academic aspect.

For the most part she didn’t have very many friends. But she had family. Her mother always had a hot meal ready for dinner, Sven always watched movies with her and Garf when he had free time and Garf always made her smile.

Without wasting another second, she carefully removed the bow from around the paper. She moved her finger across the blue paper to find any openings. Turning it over, she tore in open.

She was right; it was a ring box. But the box had a lock on it, stopping her from opening it. Groaning in frustration, she threw her hands up in the air. ‘Of course! Another puzzle to add to my plate of confusion.’ Astrid thought.

Wanting to cry out, she closed her eyes. Recently, all she was receiving were riddles and cryptic vague messages. She heard a knock sound on the door to her right. So turning her head in that direction, she found Uncle Finn standing there.

“Mind if I join you Little Star?” Astrid nodded her head and scooted away so he had room to sit. She shoved the little box into her coat pocket and looked up curiously.

“I wanted to apologize for the way I acted. I’m very stressed out if you cannot already tell and I let it out on you. That was unfair of me to do and i’m sorry.”

“No, Uncle Finn. I’m also at fault. I shouldn’t have been snooping. If I had a question, I should’ve just asked you. I’m not mad at you, I know we’re all really tired and stressed.” Astrid gave him a gentle smile. One which he returned.

“Now, I know you, Astrid.” His face had gone serious. “I can practically see them swimming in your eyes. What are your questions?”

Breathing in a happy sigh, Astrid would finally be getting some answers. “What does that letter actually mean?”

Uncle Finn opened his mouth to speak when her father came running out holding a phone. He looked flustered and sad. It seemed that no matter what she did, Astrid was destined to be clueless. Her uncle gave her a small apologetic smile before standing up and commencing with his brother.

Astrid felt a surge of awkwardness rise up as she continued to sit there. They were whispering in hushed voices over the phone, looking at her from time to time. Finally after what felt like years, Uncle Finn sighed and turned around walking back towards Astrid.

Sitting back down he placed his hand over her knee in a fatherly manor. “Little Star, i’m afraid i’m going to need to cut my visiting time short.” Astrid’s mouth curved down in a slight frown.

“Oh, um...when-when are you leaving?” Astrid hated feeling this sullen but she couldn’t help it. To her, she just got her Uncle back after years. And now he has to leave. Again. He cleared his throat and casted his gaze downwards.

“My flight takes off tonight. They need me back at headquarters asap. Which means I’ve got to leave the farm this afternoon.” Astrid sucked in a breath. Uncle Finn took something out of his jean pocket. It was the yellow letter.

“You know, you technically haven’t given a final answer. You could come with me if you want Little Star.” The world seemed to move in slow-motion for Astrid as she moved her hand to take hold of the piece of paper. Once she held it, her hand dropped back into her lap where it hit something else.

The corner of the box that was still hidden in her pocket. She remembered her talk with her mother just moments prior.

“I can’t make this decision for you. Whether or not you accept that invitation, is for you to decide.” She placed the tiny box in the center of Astrid’s palm and wrapped her hands around it, cupping both her hand and the box.

“But I can promise you Astrid, that I will be there for you every step of the way. I will love you know matter what you do.”

Astrid looked at her father who smiled weakly at her and nodded his head. She looked back at her uncle and remembered what he had said.

“But you can’t live on this farm forever, little star.”

“Astrid, I remember you telling me, years ago that you wanted out, you wanted adventure and to explore.”

“Wonder, Astrid. Don’t think. Thinking will get you nowhere. But wondering will take you to the universe.”

Astrid bit her lip. Her life was stagnant; she will admit that. She had ambitions and a fire in her that gave her a desire to see and try new things.

She was contempt with staying where she was but it wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted something that went beyond her farm and longed for something that she couldn’t find here.

having an internal battle with herself, he didn’t notice her father trek back inside. Her uncle placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. “You don’t have to answer now, but I leave at 7.”

And with a final squeeze, he followed after Sven once again leaving Astrid and her thoughts alone.

~~~~~~~

Astrid zipped up her suitcase after putting the last bit of items in it. Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, it read 5:30. She looked over her shoulder at her door where she had stacked up another smaller suitcase and a leather bag.

She had made her bed earlier and completed her chores for the day before lunch. After lunch she had spent the rest of the day packing.

Astrid hadn’t told anyone but she was taking the leap; she was accepting the letter. She’s considering it another chapter in her book. Chapter 1.

Taking another look around her room, she took a deep breath. It would be 20 weeks before she would be standing where she was at that second. 20 weeks until she could eat her mothers food or tend to the plants. She would miss riding her horses and playing space with Garf. But she will just have to wait.

She strung the leather bag over her shoulder and raised the handle on her suitcases. Taking the letter off of her desk, she folded it and placed it in the bags pocket. Turning around she went to walk out but stopped when she reached her dresser.

There laid the unopened box from her Grandmother. Astrid contemplated bringing it with her all day but finally settled on not. She couldn’t get it open by itself so it was fruitless bringing it with her and running the risk of breaking or loosing it. Besides, it’ll be waiting for her when she gets back.

Nodding her head in content, she proceeded to journey out of her room and down the hall. She passed the office doors that were, unsurprisingly closed. She continued her travels and passed Garf’s room next. His dark blue walls were covered with painted planets and stars. The two of the had gone on many missions in that room.

His space themed bedsheets were scattered and unkept. Smiling softly, she continued on down the stairs. She took a right through the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and made her way by the backdoors where she paused. Pulling the curtains back a hair, she peeked outside. The horses were still grazing and she could see the trees blow in the wind. It looked as if they were waving goodbye.

Shutting the curtains, she hauled her luggage through the living room and to the door. Her whole family was gathered outside talking. Astrid’s mind was racing.

She could still turn back, it wasn’t too late. She had never been past the markets of her hometown. However something in her mind screamed louder than that. This was the adventure she was born to go on. This was her destiny.

That voice drowned out the other voices inside of her; and she turned the doorknob. Taking a step outside, she stood on the porch. She pulled her suitcases out and kept still taking in the scene in front of her. Uncle Finn was leaning against the blue pickup truck having a conversation with her father and mother. Garf clutched Ingrid’s leg, eating a cookie.

Uncle Finn was the first to spot the awaiting blonde. At first his eyes shone surprise before transitioning into one of relief. Her father caught the slight distraction of his brother and turned to match what he was looking at.

Her father took a moment longer to figure out what his daughter was doing with suitcases. Realization stabbed him in the gut as he connected dots. Many emotions swirled upon his face even though he had tried to conceal them. Sadness, proudness and reluctance.

Ingrid looked over her shoulder before breaking into a smile. “Astrid!” It was like everyone snapped out of their dazes when she yelled that.

Her father quickly jogged over to her. “Here let me help you sweetie.” He took a hold of her suitcases while Astrid muttered thank yous. They walked down the porch steps and made their way over to the family. Ingrid had taken Garf into her arms. Sven carried her luggage around to the trunk of the car loading them up.

Ingrid smiled, tearing up a bit when she hugged her daughter goodbye. “Astrid, my daughter. Words cannot express how happy I am that you are embracing this experience.” She stepped back and took her cheek in her hand.

“I hope you find whatever will make you happy in life. And that you remember what we promised each other.” A couple tears had fallen from her mothers eyes as she stroked her daughters cheekbone lovingly.

Garf had placed his chubby hands on both sides of her cheeks and looked into her eyes. “Where are you going?” Garf wasn’t old enough to fully understand what was happening. Astrid tried to chuckle comfortingly but it came out more like a strangled whimper.

“I’m going to the moon, my little astronaut.” Garf sighed when he heard that.

“But you’re coming back right?” It was painful for everyone to hear.

“Of course. You don’t really think I can battle all of those space monsters by my self, do you?” Garf smiled at that. “Here, I’ll make you a promise.” Astrid looked at her mother and back to her brother.

“I’ll go to the moon and scout it out and then I promise you that I will come back and get you, so we can go together. How about it?” Garf’s face lit up.

“Yea!” Astrid ruffled his locks of hair and turned towards the truck. Tightening her grasp on her shoulder, she nodded at her father and uncle. They both returned the gesture before loading themselves into the car, saying their last goodbyes.

Sven situated himself in the drivers seat with his brother beside him. Opening the door to the back, Astrid halted and looked back at her mother and brother. The two of them stood there in the setting sun’s rays of light, waving. With a last look and wave, Astrid hopped into the truck, shutting the door behind her.

Her father started the car as she clipped in her seatbelt. They started down the dirt driveway. Astrid turned her head to look out the back window. Waving goodbye to the figures who slowly receded into the dust, along with her home.

Astrid turned around in her seat only when they couldn’t be seen anymore.


	8. Chapter 7: Take Off

Sven parked the truck right outside of the airport, about an hour away from the farm. The sun had set half an hour ago, leaving the world in darkness. He looked over to his brother who had his hand on the door handle, ready to open it and leave. Sven looked in the mirror to find his precious gem asleep.

He gripped his brother’s arm making sure to lock gazes. “Please, Finnley. I’m begging you, please take care of my daughter.” His voiced dipped lower so only the two could hear. “There was a reason I didn’t want to give the letter to her. The world you live in is dangerous. It kills and wounds and scars.” Finn cut him off by placing his hand on top of his brothers hand in a brotherly manor.

“But with pain also comes love, brother. Astrid is my niece and I love her as if she were my own. I always have. You can bet your ass I will do everything and anything I can to keep her safe. You have my word.”

Sven gave him a sad smile. “I know you will.”

Letting go, both brothers opened their respective doors. Finn carefully grasped Astrid’s door handle and pulling it towards him; opening the door. He gently shook his niece awake.

“What?” Astrid asked through half lidded eyes. She was dreary from her nap.

“We’re here.” Astrid’s eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. “Already?” Her voice was laced with sleep. Then she caught sight of her father dragging her suitcases from behind the car. “Dad? What’re you doing here?” Finn snickered.

“We’re at the airport Little Star. Not headquarters. Come on, you can sleep on the plane. It is a 10 hour flight.” Astrid’s eyes bugged out of her head, now fully awake. “10 hours!” Groaning, she jumped out of the car, taking the handles from her father. He made sure to wrap her in a hug before she walked away.

He kissed her temple whispering, “Be safe out there kiddo. Know that both your mother and I are prouder than words care to express.” Smirking, Astrid hugged him back. “Gee dad you’re making it sound as if I was going off to war.” Her playfulness coming to life as a mask to hide her sadness.

She could feel him roll her eyes but hugged her tighter before letting go. “Yea, yea. Your snarky remarks are something I won’t miss.”

Astrid could detect his playful tone matching hers. Acting hurt, she placed her hand over her heart. “I’m wounded!” Laughing out loud, her father just pushed her towards her uncle, who was waiting patiently by the doors.

She laughed along with him and walked forwards. She looked over her shoulder and saw her father wave. She waved back and caught up to Uncle Finn. Together they walked through the doors and over to the reception desk to check in.

Placing their luggage on the conveyer belt to get surveyed, Astrid gazed out the window.

She saw her father get into the truck, stirring it back to life. She shifted her bag on her shoulder for a new, slightly more comfortable position. They continued walking towards their gate to load.

They seemed to keep pace with her fathers blue truck as they both traveled in the same direction.

Astrid’s heart dropped as they had to turn the corner. She saw her fathers blinker flash on, leading him in the opposite direction.

They turned down their selected paths and moved on. Astrid tilted her chin up and confidently strode to where their plane was loading.

There was no turning back now.

~~~~~~~

After going through endless security and paperwork, the pair had finally made it to the gates. Vacant chairs lined the walls. A man in a black pilot uniform stood at the door. Once he recognized Finn, he stood taller and gave a stiff nod holding his hand out.

“Good evening COS Finnley Hofferson. Are we ready to take off towards Headquarters.” The question sounded more of a statement as they shook hands. She made a mental note that the two probably knew each other.

Astrid took this time to study the foreign person. He was tall, probably reaching little over 6 feet. He had dark curly hair and dark brown eyes to match. He looked to be in his early twenties.

She squinted to get a look at his name that was situated on his badge. It read, ‘Dominique Connley’. Dominique must have just processed the other Hofferson in the room as he looked to the left of Finn. He gave a gentle smile and politely held his hand out for her to shake.

She returned the smile, although hers was still saddened from departing with her father only minutes before, and took his outstretched hand in hers. “Connley. Dominique Connley.”

Letting go of his hand, she said, “Hofferson. Astrid Hofferson.”

Dominque had turned his attention back to her uncle after studying the blonde female in front of him. “Right this way then.” He moved away, revealing the entrance of a narrow hallway. Following it, the hallway led them up a flight of stairs and to a set of doors.

Dominque pushed them open where Astrid saw a jet on a landing pad. It was a good size, with comfortable seating and a separate compartment for luggage. She turned to her uncle and gave an excited laugh.

She had never experienced a plane nevertheless a private jet for that matter. “Here you’ll need this.” Her attention shifted to Dominque who gave her a hearty smile. He handed her a set of headphones that covered her ears.

“The jet can get pretty loud if you’re not used to it. And i’m guessing this is your first time?” Astrid nodded and grabbed them from his hands. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Uncle Finn had already begun to walk over to their ride. Astrid followed suite. Finn opened her door and held it for her as she hopped in. Buckling herself up, she noticed Dominique come over. He attached something to her head piece.

“Like I said, the machine can get very loud. This is a microphone that will allow you to communicate with us up front. This right here,” he pointed a section on the wall where a lot of buttons and switches were. “This is called a panel. These buttons have different meanings. The red one will signal to me that something is wrong and we should land. Please do not press it unless it is an emergency.”

“The blue one regulates temperature. Click it once for cooler air, twice for warmer air. The green button controls lighting back here. You have three lights. Click it that many times for dimness. Purple button will dim the windows if there are any glares. It’s nighttime so you shouldn’t have to worry about that. But just in case.”

“And finally the switches. You shouldn’t have to worry about those, I will instruct you on those if the time arises. Which I doubt it will. I am required to go over all safety precautions with you. Most if not everything is located under these seats. We have a fire extinguisher, floaty, barf bag, you name it and it is somewhere in this jet.”

“There is a latch on the right side door. Do not open it, you will be sucked out and probably dead before you hit the ground. We have snacks and water located in the side compartment in front of you and that should be it. You will be perfectly safe in this jet so long as I am flying it. I have been flying her for my whole life. If at any point you have a question press this button on the side of your headset for me. This button will connect with your uncle and if you want both of us, press and hold this button.”

“Any questions before we take off?” He looked at her expectantly.

“What if I have to pee?” He smiled and chuckled before answering.

“I’m sure there is an empty water bottle somewhere back here.” She rolled her eyes and laughed with him. “But in all seriousness, we will need to fuel her up with more gas in about 5 hours. So we will break and make a pit-stop. You can use the restroom there. Anything else?”

With a shake of her head, he shut the door and locked it.

Uncle Finn and Dominque put there headsets on and jumped in their respective seats up front. Dominique flicked the switch that turned the jet on. It roared to life and started to spin the blades.

Astrid looked down below her as they slowly left the ground. Dust was being blown in a rhythmic circle as Dominique began pushing buttons. Astrid swung her bag off her shoulder and placed it in her lap. She checked the time on her phone. It was a few minutes past 9.

Sighing, she rested her head on the window. Below her, the buildings lights were growing smaller in the distance. The trees were silent and dark. She closed her eyes, letting the hum of the jet lull her to sleep.

~~~~~~~

Astrid woke up about 5 hours later when she felt the jet hit the ground. The blades that were once spinning were slowing down. She checked her phone for the time and clicked it off after seeing it was a little after 2 in the morning.

She heard static coming through her headset. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes. Uncle Finn’s voice could be heard a little clearer now. “Hey Little Star, we’re filling her back up. I have a twenty spot if you’d like to head into the airport and get something.” Astrid wasn’t too terribly hungry but she did know she had to pee.

After giving her directions on where the nearest ladies room was, Astrid walked into the airport. The bright light hurt her eyes as she tried to adjust to them. She found the restroom sign and quickly made her way over.

After finishing her business, she washed her hands. Astrid looked in the mirror as she stood over the sink. Her hair was falling out of it’s braid and her face looked tired but her blue eyes shone with great anticipation and excitement. Heaving a sigh, she threw away her paper towel and opened the door.

Astrid found herself heading back the way she came. On the way, she stopped by a store. Though it wasn’t the food that caught her attention but the magazines. On the front cover was a big guy with red hair and buffy beard. “Haddock.” Astrid muttered. “Where do I know that name?”

She picked one up and inspected it. It read,

‘Things have been going down at the CIA headquarters, reporter Dave writes. Recently, the Director of the program has been at a standstill with the enemy. He claims that somehow their adversary has spy’s on the inside. Who would have thought the spy agents have a spy? To find out more secluded information, turn to page 3...’

Astrid was drawn back into reality when the store clerk walked up to her from behind the counter. “Can I help with anything miss?” She looked up at the man. “How much is this magazine?”

He tilted his head and looked at her. “Long flight?” Astrid replied with a nervous, “Yes-yes sir. Very long fight.” And gave out a slight chuckle.

“Ye can have it free of charge if you tell me where you’re going.” He smirked at her and crossed his arms. Astrid thought about it, weighing her options. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll pay the three dollars, sir.” She looked to Uncle Finn. He had a stone look on his face and showed no emotion. The guy behind the counter gruffly took the money and gave him his change. Uncle Finn kept a firm press on her shoulder as he led her away from the store.

The whole walk back to the jet was silent. They got in and buckled with a stiff nod to Dominique from her uncle. They were back up in the air within a few minutes.

Originally, Astrid would have fallen back to sleep but now her mind was too awake to even try.

She turned on the lights in the back but dimmed them and made sure she could still see. Flipping the pages over, she landed on page 3. She began to read:

’Something wild and unexplained has been trifling through the national CIA agency headquarters like wildfire. Director Stoick Haddock joins us with inside information.

“The rumors are true that something is looming. It is confidential though and for that matter I am willed to keep my mouth shut. Be reassured that we do have many personas working around the clock for the bound solutions.”

It has also been known that for whatever reason, people are not returning from missions. This rises alarm in many families across the States. Although many people have asked, very few have been receiving any information.

Many individuals are tirelessly going nowhere. ‘This has been like a maze; a game to the enemy and we are the mice.’ quotes one of Stoick Haddocks attorneys. ‘We are looking for many new recruits as this might be the beginning of a very long war.’

Although war may seem to be with the world it is also within family. Hiccup Haddock, the only son and heir of Stoick Haddock, claims that their family has been slowly drifting apart.′

Astrid raised an eyebrow. ‘Hiccup?’ Who names their child Hiccup? She rolled her eyes and continued to read.

’It is as if the secret agency has been destined to fall out with bad luck. It seems time is not of the essence. The States continues to sit on the edge of their seats all wondering what is to become of the CIA and where this war will take them.

I am reporter Dave Game and this was "Just In" on the updates of the CIA.′

Astrid took in the new information and shifted into a more comfortable position. She decided to not let her mind run away with her just yet and come up with conclusions. It was always better to have accurate information before laying down an opinion.

Seeing that it was only 3 in the morning she had about four and half more hours before arriving to her destination. Astrid started to flip through the rest of the magazine and criticize the dresses that all of the models decided to show off.

That one dress made that model look like a llama. Yeah, Astrid thought, this is going to be a good four hours....


	9. Chapter 8: Meet and Greets

The sun was rising over the horizon as the jet ‘thumped’ signaling it had landed. The time was currently a little past 7. Astrid closed the magazine, shoving it inside of her bag. The noise of the blades above her were switched off but acting just as a fan, they slowly kept in circle.

Dominque and Finn exited first, while Astrid was still sorting her belongings. The door to her left opened and she was greeted with the kind smile of their pilot. He held out his hand, his dark curls moving in the direction of the slowing blades.

Feeling her own lips tug into a smile, Astrid took his hand, letting him help her. She swung her leather bag back over shoulder once she set foot on solid ground. She took her hand out of Dominques’ and removed the headset from her ears.

“Thanks again for those and the ride.” He flashed her another bigger smile, a light blush apparent on his cheeks. “You’re-you’re welcome.” His voice came out like a squeak. Astrid shifted her focus when she saw her uncle come up beside her, wheeling their luggage.

Astrid took a hold of her two suitcases and followed her uncle towards the building. They walked upon the tile floor. This airport was definitely bigger and filled with more people in contrast to her hometown’s airport where there had been no one.

Uncle Finn led them down a series of hallways and corridors before they came to the exit. The automatic doors opened on their own, allowing the foreign bodies through. Uncle Finn’s eyes lit up as he caught sight of a familiar face.

“Gobber!” Finn hastily makes his way down the last few steps and to a bulky man sporting a blond beard. “Finnley! So glad to see ye again.” They pulled each other in for a bro hug and pat on the back. Gobber must’ve seen Astrid over her uncle’s shoulder because his gray eyes grew wide with excitement.

“Aye and this young beauty must be ya niece!” Finn turned around and nodded in her direction. “Yes, Gobber. This is Astrid, my niece.” Gobber walked over to the blonde female and pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground. Astrid gave a short, awkward chuckle and gave his back an uncomfortable pat. “And Astrid, this is Gobber.”

Gobber held the female out at arms length and studied her. “Lass I gotta put some meat on those bones! No worries though, I can promise ye, I will have you back up to code in no time!” Gobber smiled a wide smile showing Astrid how messed up his teeth looked. Some of his front teeth were metal but behind all of that, was kindness.

“Don’t scare the poor thing Gobber. She’s new to the whole ordeal.” Astrid could hint the slight warning tone towards Gobber who just brushed it off, firing back playful remarks. “Come lass, lets get going. We have much to talk about.”

Gobber held his arm over her shoulder and led them towards a shiny black limousine. Astrid had to blink a couple times with her mouth hanging open to realize this was their ride. She could hear her uncle laugh at her reaction. Gobber chuckled and gave her a knowing look.

“First time in a limo?” Silence gave him his answer. Gobber mumbled under his breath, “Won’t be ya last either once Hiccup falls for ya. Knowin’ the lad he’ll spoil ya rotten.” He turned to her uncle and gave a knowing look. “How long do you think?” Finn’s gaze turned anxious. “So long as she remains protected and loved.”

Smirking, Gobber turned back to the female blonde and nudged Astrid from her daze. She urged her legs to walk and started hauling her suitcases to the back of the car where her uncle stood.

After they loaded up the luggage, Gobber opened up the door, awaiting the blonde female’s entrance. Thanking Gobber, she stepped in. Her blue eyes grew wide as she took in the interior. The seats were on both sides and facing each other. She decided to settle on the left and sat closest to the window.

“Nope me next!” Astrid snickered as she watched Gobber shove her uncle out of the way and slide in next. However, unlike Astrid, he situated himself across from her and sat in the middle. Uncle Finn rolled his eyes and hopped in last, shutting the door.

“Can I get ya anything lass? Water, food?” Gobber had directed the question towards Astrid, making her uncle whine about him.

Astrid shyly declined and sat politely looking out the tinted window. The pair had gone back to whispering about work. Astrid watched as cars passed and buildings streamed by.

Suddenly Astrid remembered something.

“Actually, do you mind explaining some things?” All eyes turned to her when she spoke up. Gobber nodded in confirmation. “Could you explain- this is going to sound ridiculous.” She gave a short chuckle and drew another breath. “We’re going to the CIA Headquarters right?”

Gobber gave her a look. “Well, eventually lass. But we are travelling to a spot where you and your unit will meet They’ll have to be bussed but that won’t be for another hour or so. To start training of course.” Even more questions popped up in her mind but she had to set them aside.

“Okay, okay. Taking a couple steps back, I remember reading about how the CIA having different rankings; similar to the military.” Gobber nodded his head in understanding. “What are they?”

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Well, the highest rank you can be without expanding into government positions are Directors or also know as Chiefs. They send out missions for agents to take on. They basically run everything.”

“Next from the Director, is the Assistant Director. Which is me, by the way.” he winked at her and showed a proud smile. “They are basically the second in command. If something were to ever happened to the Director or chief, then we obviously step up. We assist them to meetings and gatherings. And lend them our opinions.”

“The rank following that would be the chief of staff. Which is this one over here.” He pointed to her uncle who grunted in recognition. “The chief of staff or the COS organizes all units and missions involving deputies. They are basically like a mini chief at headquarters.”

Astrid eyed her uncle in curiosity wondering why he would keep that accomplishment a secret. Gobber continued.

“I find it easier to explain this next part working up. So I will start with a unit. A unit is a band of about ten to twelve people who wish to become CIA agents. They are to work together through all four stages and complete them as a team. These people become family. Once everyone reaches the final test, they must pass it. Everyone has two attempts to accomplish this test.”

“If you fail to complete the test then you cannot move on to the ceremony - meaning you cannot become a deputy or agent. Which brings me to the next grade; an agent or deputy.” Finn cut Gobber off and looked at his niece.

“Think about it this way Little Star. Take a line. Place a dot in the center. Now, you can either go right or left. If you go right, you become an agent. You travel on missions outside of the states. On the other hand if you go left, you become a deputy. Deputies work on missions inside of the confinements of Headquarters. They work with computers and the business aspects of the missions agents carry out.” He nodded over to Gobber to continue his spiel, signaling he was done talking.

Gobber gave him a curt nod of acknowledgment, “If you choose to become an agent there are always the chance of injury. If you are injured or cannot proceed to continue being an agent, you are allowed to resign to be a deputy. After you have acquired a certain number of experience, then you are allowed to become a Director, Assistant Director, COS, or General.”

“Basically anyone above a unit is to be respected by ma’am or sir. But you have a kind soul my dear, I am not worried.” Gobber finished with his usual smile after Astrid thanked him. He went back to talking business with her uncle in hushed tones.

Astrid lolled her head to the side and set it against the window. Her brain hurt from all of the sudden information. She tried wrapping her head around what was important but .

~~~~~~~

The car was stopped when Astrid quite daydreaming and broke off back into reality. She looked around groggily but dreed set in as she realized she was the only one in the car. She opened the car door and grabbed her bag in one swift motion.

Hurriedly, she stepped out, groaning at the sudden sun on her face. She looked around her to notice the car was parked in the middle of the forest. Her feet touched the floor and sunk a little. She looked down and found that the road was all rocks and gravel.

She focused on what was in front of her. She closed the car door and took everything in. There were five buildings in front of her. The one in the middle was the largest, protruding out with massive stairs leading to the grand doors.

There were two rectangular buildings to each side that were smaller and looked like tiny motel’s. They were made of brick and had windows in perfect rows. They also looked to be two stories.

She couldn’t make them out but she could tell there were two more buildings behind the big one. Astrid contemplated on staying by the car because she had no idea where she was going or wander off in hopes that she runs into Gobber or her uncle. Biting her lip in distraught, she held onto the strap of her leather bag tighter.

“Are you lost miss Hofferson?” That voice sounded familiar. She whipped around and came face to face with dark eyes. Dominque. She saw him place a pair of sunglasses on top of his head.

She smiled, expressing her gratitude. “Yes. I’m afraid my uncle and his friend might have left me when I was um” she didn’t want to embarrass herself by saying she had dozed off daydreaming because that sounded like she was air-headed and childish. And if there was one thing Astrid was not, it was childish.

So instead she cleared her throat and said, “whilst I was preoccupied.”

She hopped he believed her.

She could tell by the look he gave her that he was skeptical. Astrid was glad when he decided to not pester her. He shrugged his shoulders and moved his sunglasses back down to cover his eyes. “Where do you wish to go?”

Astrid had no idea.

He must’ve caught onto her silence and tinted cheeks and smiled. “How about I show you around?” He popped his arm out like a gentleman would do. Astrid gave him another relieved sigh before looping her arm with his.

“It appears I don’t have anywhere to be currently so...” Astrid gave him another relieved sigh before looping her arm with his. “...lead the way.”

~~~~~~~

“Did you bring her?” A gruff Scottish accent sounded in the secluded office.

“Yes, sir, but she was nearly asleep in the car and we thought it best to let her rest before throwing her into this whirlwind. That and she isn’t the nicest human being when she’s tired.” The buff man let out a chuckle at his friend’s response and turned to look at him.

“We’re getting old my friend. We can’t run this agency forever. It’s about time we had someone come in and spice things up.” He gave a wishful but doubtable sigh. “Gods above know my son needs all the help he can get.”

Finn met his gaze. “Do you think they’ll remember each other?” It was a whisper but the men in front of him heard him clearly. Stoick gave him a tired smile and looked back out the window.

“They have a bond, Finnley. They were both very young but it is undeniable nonetheless.” Gobber nodded in agreement. “Aye, chief. They have something.”

Finnley let out a breath as he remembered that day clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

It was Christmas break and the Haddock’s were invited over to stay with the Hofferson’s, platonically work realated. Stoick and his 6 year old son arrived to the farmhouse. Ingrid opened the door welcoming them in with smiles.

A 3 year old Astrid shyly clung to her mothers leg. She wore a blue long sleeve dress and white tights and her hair in two braids. Sven and Finn came up to the door and greeted Stoick with firm but friendly handshakes.

“Merry Christmas Chief.” Stoick replied with a “Merry Christmas Agents.” Hiccup followed him up the stairs last, holding the railing. His curious eyes landing on a certain blonde.

A couple of hours later, everyone sat in the living room with full stomachs. Hiccup and Astrid were in the middle next to the tree. It looked as if they were coloring in an old notebook.

The adults sat around, talking about work and other things when they looked down and noticed the kids were gone. Ingrid set down her glass of wine and went in search of the kids. She rounded the corner and spotted them.

She rushed back into the living room and urged the rest to follow her. They stopped where she had stood previously and peeked at the kids. Astrid had gotten onto a chair with the help of Hiccup and reached for the cookie tin on the counter.

Hiccup stood just to the side of the chair ready to catch Astrid if she fell. Once the blonde had grabbed ahold of the tin jar, she handed it to Hiccup who placed it down beside him. He turned back to her and helped her down.

They moved the chair back and grabbed the cookie jar. Hiccup took Astrid’s hand and led them out of the kitchen. The adults followed the pair quietly and watched them crack the sliding glass door - enough for them to slip out.

Both children sat on the first step leading off the porch and placed the cookies in the middle. Each taking one to enjoy. Neither kid realized the adults behind them laughing and placing bets...

Finn, Gobber, and Stoick all looked at each other with the same expression.

“We’re not getting any younger, Chief.” Gobber tried to hide his smile but the corners of his mouth lifted up. Stoick shook his head and turned back towards the window.

“We have 20 weeks.” Finnley nodded at his words.

“It’ll be unlike anything we’ve ever done before...” Stoick’s smile widened.

“Nothings impossible, my friend. So long as nothing gets in the way.” Stoick groaned not long after. “Except maybe that.” He nodded down to where a certain blonde was walking with someone who didn’t appear to be Hiccup.


	10. Chapter 9:

Astrid shoved her hands in her pockets once she and Dominque had circled back to the front. They had walked along a gravel pathway which connected all of the buildings and looped back around. He had shown her the Great Hall which served as the resting place, cafeteria, and had some classrooms in it.

The building that was built to the left of the Great Hall was the boy chambers. There are supposedly separate rooms for each boy and their roommate. The same design was set up to the right of the Great Hall for the girls. They were dorm rooms in other words. There were two buildings set up behind the Great Hall.

One was slightly bigger than the other but was tinier than the Great Hall. That was apparently where the higher ranked personas stayed. The deputies and generals. On the other side further off was the tiniest building. It acted as a miniature hospital ward. It was two stories but the second story was where the nurses were staying.

The training grounds were surrounded by forest for miles apparently with a river nearby. In the grand scheme of things, it really was a beautiful place.

It also happened to be empty as the buses had not yet arrived with the rest of the people.

Dominque had said that the Deputies and Generals were inside either the Great Hall or their rooms preparing for the next 20 weeks. On the entire walk, Astrid hadn’t seemed to locate either her uncle or Gobber.

Dominque said the busses should be arriving any minute so it was best to just wait. He offered waiting with her in the Great Hall but Astrid decided it was better to wait for her uncle on the Great Hall steps.

He sat with her for awhile and she had appreciated it but then the atmosphere around them grew awkward. Sure he was a good friend but he sometimes made things uncomfortable when Astrid would try and decipher whether it was flirting or just kindness.

He had a big heart by making sure she was okay. But now Astrid was torn. She wanted to be by herself but she also didn’t want to be alone. They made quiet talk and short conversations while she waited.

He had explained to her that the buses, that would arrive very soon, would be filled with people her age who had accepted the letter. Apparently the letter was very rare to receive and the individual that got it should be very honored. But something pulled at her and wasn’t seeming to give up.

Had she received that letter because her uncle was COS or because she was worthy of it?

It had gone silent between the two and Astrid couldn’t help but wonder some more. If Dominque hadn’t have been there, she would still be stuck by that limo. Her uncle left her alone in an unknown area. That tugged at her in a not so kindly way.

She knew she wasn’t angry at him but she was very upset. So now Astrid waited with her eyes trained on the car down the road in front of her waiting for something to happen.

It didn’t take long after for her uncle to find her. She had taken keen on using her phone for entertainment alongside Dominque. She casted her eyes up when a shadow towered over her. Taking sight of her uncle, she quickly stood up and dusted herself off.

“Dominque.” They greeted each other with a formal hello before looking at the blonde beside them. “Astrid. Come with me.”

His voice was pinched in a business like tone. She looked back at Dominque and bid farewell along with a thanks and sped off after her uncle who disappeared inside the Great Hall.

~~~~~~~

Uncle Finn slowed his pace down so his niece could catch up. She hadn’t been inside the massive building before; only admired it from the outside. It was a lot bigger inside than anticipated. The room was big and looked as if it could fit many tables.

There were stairs in the back that fanned out to be the second floor. She caught up to her uncle on the stairs and continued to marvel in the beauty of the antique style of the building. It looked like it dated back to ancient times with the carvings on the walls and how candle lit the massive room instead of electrical lights.

Passing the carvings on some of the walls Astrid felt a sense of homesick. Something about these patterns reminded her of home; and she couldn’t put her finger on why.

She nearly bumped into her uncle when he suddenly stopped outside a door. He turned to face her with a gentle and encouraging smile. That smile made the blonde in front of him unsettled.

He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. He walked in with his niece behind him. She lifted her head up and noticed Gobber was here. Her face brightened and she shot him a wave. One where he kindly returned and smiled.

Finnley cleared his throat which caught Astrid’s attention. She looked over to him and realized he had moved away from her. She was now the only one in the middle of the room. Her eyes scanned the room in suspicion.

She found a heavier set man with a red beard behind a desk. He seemed familiar. Then it clicked. He was the one who was on the TV when she interrupted for waffles. Her cheeks flared up a bit when she remembered.

“Hello sir.” She said with a polite smile. He gave her one back and stood up reaching his hand out for her to shake. She took his large hand in hers and gave it a firm shake.

“Good morning lass. I hope your flight in was nice and not problematic.” His green eyes were soft and gentle just like his voice. She felt safe which wasn’t what she thought she would feel walking in.

“Yes, sir. It was quite lovely.” He nodded in approval and they dropped hands. He dipped his head towards what she had over her shoulder. She shrugged the leather bag off of her body and set it on his desk.

“This is just my bag that I keep my more valuable belongings in.” He nodded and took it off his desk and placed it on his lap. Astrid went to grab it back but her uncle gave her a sharp look that halted her in her progress.

She straightened up a bit and watched as the man rummaged into her stuff looking to be in deep thought.

She cleared her throat. “Excuse me sir, with all due respect why do you feel the need to go through my stuff? That belongs to me and it’s my privacy.” She heard the man sigh and set her bag back onto the desk. He leaned closer to her with his elbows on the table. His head rested on his folded hands.

“We haven’t properly met my dear. My name is Stoick Haddock. Director of this camp and Headquarters.” Still weary of the man she nodded and introduced herself.

“My name is-” Stoick cut her off. “Astrid. Astrid Hofferson. Yes I know lass. Your uncle is a good man. But we have rules here. And you must realize that any family titles that are properly current, vanish. Once the day starts tomorrow, he is not your uncle nor is he to see you as anything but a comrade in a unit. He is your Chief of Staff and you are to respect that and address him as such. Is that clear.”

The tone he used indicated she didn’t have an option. She nodded and gave a lithe, “Yes sir.”

“Good.” It looked as if he was going to say something else but something interrupted him - more like a someone. A gloved hand clamped down over her mouth using a cloth to sustain her shout of surprise into a muffled noise. Boots shoved her knees inward, making her buckle to the floor against her will. 

What the Hell.


	11. Chapter 10: Agent Hiccup

In the midst of all the panic, she tried to head butt the person off however once she leaned back she exposed her neck. Mistake. There was a sudden knife held firmly to the spot she had just given access too.

The hand that covered her mouth left but made sure the cloth had still gagged her. It grabbed her braid, pulling her head back further and at an uncomfortable angle that left her throat nestled more into the blade.

She looked up in hopes of viewing this person, but her capturer was by her ear and out of sight. “If I had been the enemy, you’d be dead.” To make a point he, Astrid was assuming the gender was male because of his voice, inched the knife a little deeper into her neck.

Not enough to draw blood but enough for her to feel insanely frightened and uncomfortable. The blade was cold, and she could slightly feel the metal lightly protrude her flesh.

“That’s enough son. Let her go.” And just like that all pressure was off her and there was no knife connected to her neck anymore. She ripped the cloth from her mouth and started to violently heave. It was as if she was coming down from a panicked high.

She glared at the person who now stood off to her right. “The hell was that for?” She spat out angrily. Her voice was coarse as she still struggled to comprehend the last couple of minutes.

He just shrugged and examined her. The mystery man walked over to the desk and flung the knife which had previously occupied her throat and landed perfectly vertical by her bag.

“That,” he pointed to her and then to the knife. “was a test. I was standing by the door when you first walked in. We wanted to see how long it would take until you realized someone else was in the room.”

His eyes finally met her blue ones. She felt her breath leave her body. They were light but due to a shadow caused by the poor light in the room, she couldn’t quite distinguish their exact color.

“You didn’t. Which means you failed.” His voice was lazy as if he didn’t want to be there but he spoke with fluidity meaning he knew what he was talking about.

“Stoick took your bag. In other words, distracted you from any other possible dangers in the room. He made sure you were focused on something else rather than on your surroundings. I took this time to examine you. The way you stood, talked, your height, your weight; I noticed several weak spots open that appeared to be of use to me.”

He pointed to the cloth on the floor. “Typically this would be covered in what you might know as chloroform. We wanted to see what instincts kicked in when placed in a dangerous situation. As a matter of fact,” his orbs bore into hers. “They suck.”

The way he spoke to her flustered Astrid in a bad way. She almost felt ashamed or embarrassed. And she was too proud for that nonsense.

His words hurt her in a way she couldn’t describe. Her eyes narrowed in anger and her emotions decided to boil over due to her perplexed state. “Well excuse me for not being a sophisticated, and an adequately trained CIA agent!” She spat out aggressively. The guy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms looking over her.

His posture snapped into a serious one within the second she opened her mouth almost as if he knew she was going to try and defend herself. All signs of slack whisked out the window.

“But even if I had been a trained agent, what reason did you have to jump someone! Who gave you permission to attack me?” If her stare could murder, this guy would be six feet under.

Stoick opened his mouth to intervene but Finn gave him a sharp glare which enticed him to stay where he was. And regardless of their ranks, he opted to listen to the gentlemen.

“That was an unfair advantage and who’s to say I can’t break your face in right now?” She curled her fists at her side and continued to step forward in hopes of intimidating him.

But he didn’t budge and stayed put in a firm manor as if he were rooted to that spot.

Her eyes were raging with a burning fire. His eyes narrowed into slits as he angrily took a step towards her, forcing her back. He jabbed a finger into her chest. “Alright first off cupcake, calm down. You’re acting like a fucking child and it doesn’t suit you.” He spat out initiating authority.

“Second of all, your uncle gave me permission. Along with everyone else who came up with the stupid program.” Astrid was internally cowering back, but she refused to show it on the outside. She was practically suffocating with the dominance he was emitting.

“Third of all, nothing is unfair once you enter this battlefield. The enemy doesn’t give a damn on whether you’re a female, male, child or elder.” He inched his face close to hers. “They will kill you.” His voice dripped with venom. ”Mercy isn’t a word to them.”

He backed off the blonde in front of him watching her give out the breath she was unknowingly holding in. His face never switched from the scowl when he threw her the leather bag.

“But i’m guessing by the lack of knowledge you atone to, you don’t even know who the enemy is, do you.” Astrid caught the bag and sent him another glare. He was speaking in statements. “Or why you’re here. Or what’s going on.”

He continued to ask questions but sounded as if he knew the answer and was smugly rubbing her innocence in her face. She paused. She didn’t know but she refused to lead him on any further. “I know why i’m here. You are short on units, and the enemy is the enemy. No further explanation needed.”

Astrid gave herself a pat on the back for remembering the talk in the limo.

However her smirk fell when he rolled his eyes, tilted his back and scoffed. “So I was right. You’re clueless. How awesome.”

Astrid was starting to come to terms with the fact that this man in front of her most likely invented sarcasm. He faced her again begrudgingly.

He rose a brow and crossed his arms back across his chest enticing her to push back or start another fight. But the blonde in front of him did neither. No matter how she stood up for herself, he was right. His last remarks had left her empty because she really didn’t know who the enemy was. Or why she was here. Or what was going on.

Or what anything was really.

Astrid blinked rapidly trying to get her footing back and assumed her mouth resembled a gulping fish. The auburn male in front of her smirked triumphantly and brought two fingers up to close her gawking mouth.

It looked as if he was about to say something but the female’s face contorted into anger. Her tightly closed fist rose and swiftly made contact to the body in front of her.

A low grunt of pain and surprise sounded as his breath left his body. Bending slightly he placed pressure to the spot on his side that she managed to hit. Finn had taught her many, many years ago, self defense. But she lost most everything from the lack of practice.

Except how to punch.

The glare that was present on his face deepened and his emerald eyes sparked in rage. Astrid smirked smugly and held her fists up once more in a threatening motion. The adrenaline from hitting him still coursing through her veins.

“Goddammit child!” the hunched person in front of her wheezed out. Blue eyes aflame, she lifted her knee and lined it with his crotch. In one solid, forward motion she kneed him. The rest of his breath left his body as he met the floor.

“Don’t call me a child.” Astrid narrowed her eyes at the pained man in front of her. She could vaguely recognize the audience in the background cackling and trying not to laugh.

Serves him right. She felt her rage bursting through.

“I understand I am about as clueless as they come to this whole ordeal. But I am willing to put in every ounce of my being into this fight. Even if I don’t fully know what this fight is for. I will protect and defend my family whether it kills me. Because I am a Hofferson and that is what we do.”

She practically spat out, “So fuck you.”

Astrid turned on her heel, snatched her bag over her shoulder and bounded out of the office in confident strides. Leaving behind three stunned men and a broken boy on the floor. The blonde female smiled. She made up her mind. She was going to prove everyone in that room just how wrong they were.

Starting now, she was going to become a CIA agent.

The best damn agent that they’ve ever seen.


	12. Chapter 11: Information

As Astrid was exciting the building, she witnessed three people in casual outfits hanging around the bottom stairs. One female sat on the last step wearing dark green skinny jeans with a light tank top and black leather jacket.

Her wild red hair was frizzed out in natural curls. Astrid could tell her eyes were a soft green and her voice dripped in a heavy accent.

The other female stood, leaning up against the stair railing, had long platinum blonde hair that shimmered in the sunlight. It reached about her waist in length.

She wore a light jean skirt with leggings underneath and despite the cold, a purple crop top jacket that showed off her toned midriff. Her eyes were too far away to identify but they sparkled and her smile radiated kindness.

The man on the other side of the ladies had dark hair but spiked with white tips. He had high cheekbones and a sharp jaw.

He wore a blue long sleeve sweatshirt with brown pants. He didn’t quite smile as much as the females or laugh when one told a joke. He mainly sat there looking lost in thought. Or at least something was on his mind.

There was no doubt that these people were utterly gorgeous human beings. Model ready and all with looks and personality. The sound of footsteps drew Astrid’s attention to the left. Another band of people came into view. A tall female with a blonde pixie cut stood next to a plump middle aged man with a dark beard.

Trailing behind them walked another, shorter blonde female looking bored. Although her hair looked as if she hadn’t brushed it in a few days. Talking up a storm beside her was another older gentleman with dark hair. Although Astrid could clearly see the gray hair coming in around the roots.

A honk from down the road gathered Astrid away from her people watching. Footsteps drew nearer from behind her and she guessed it was the few people she left in the office now coming out. Her suspicions were indeed correct when she saw Gobber and Mr. Haddock barrel past her in a conversation of their own.

Out next was the auburn haired male with his chin held high as he took confident strides past her. The look he gave her as he passed made Astrid gulp and smirk at the same time.

She was proud of herself for damaging his pride but also nervous for what he would do to her in return. It was fairly obvious he was very skilled in this field.

Astrid tensed up when a hand pressed firmly to her back but relaxed when she realized it was her Uncle. He lightly pushed her forward so she would continue her journey down the steps. The group of four people who were walking to her left stopped and offered polite, respectful greetings to the newly arrived men.

“Who are all these people?” She asked quietly to her uncle. He paused a little on the step which made Astrid stop walking down also.

“Those people down there,” he nodded to the pack of three young people by the stairs to which the auburn male had also gone over too. “are agents. You’ll be introduced formally later. And those to the left,” he indicated the band of four people who looked worn out and important. “are generals. Who you will also be introduced later to. And the buses,”

Astrid looked up and down the road only now just noticing the approaching buses driving towards them. “holds every recruit for every unit.”

She furrowed her eyebrows in. “Aren’t the units here all on the same page?”

He sighed and shook his head. “As you have already calculated, we need 20 weeks to teach our recruits. So we split it up. January to May is one session. March to July is the second session. May to September is the third and August to December is the last.”

“However, we let them venture home for Christmas and New Years in the promise of their return. Unit 4 is finishing up their last test around the end of this week. It all really depends on when you get the letter.”

Astrid looked at her shoes. “How do you pick who gets the letter.”

Finn patted her lower hip with the arm that he circled around her waist in a fatherly reassurance and cracked a knowing smile.

“Confidential Star. If you would like to continue this conversation later that is fine with me but right now you need to advert your attention to something far more important.”

He once again pushed her forward to continue down the steps. Once they reached the bottom her and her uncle parted and he took a few paces behind Mr. Haddock and Gobber.

Astrid could feel the auburn male glaring at her with a cold stare. She had to fight every urge to not meet his murderous look with one of her own.

Astrid instead focused all of her attention on the now stopping buses. Four of them lined in a row. All four doors opened simultaneously however only one person stepped out from each. Everyone looked to be in their twenties.

From the first bus was a short lady with brown hair tied in a ponytail. Her face was square and she was a little larger than the others although one could tell most of it was muscle.

She had deep brown eyes and was dressed in dark pants with a silver jacket that hid her shirt from everything. She nodded respectfully to the chief and bid her hellos.

Mr. Haddock dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Good morning Ms. Minden. I hope your new unit behaved well for you.” Minden just smugly smiled and said, “I plan on adjusting their attitudes quite quickly. This’ll be fun sir.”

The next person who stood outside the next bus over was a man who looked bored. It was clear he didn’t want to be there. Mr. Haddock sighed and offered a good morning.

The man had red hair that spiked out in different directions. A blue and green tattoo streaked over his left eye. He had a strong frame with protruding muscles. His shirt showed them off nicely. He wore camo pants with a long sleeve muscle shirt.

Mr. Haddock sighed and offered a good morning. “How are you doing today Mr. Dauger?”

He let out a deranged laugh and glared over at Minden. “I don’t know what you think you do to these kids but they step out of line too many times for my liking.” Minden scoffed and returned the cold look.

“Well Dauger if you would like to switch positions with me then by all means go ahead.” She growled out. “You know my unit is the hardest to succumb-”

Mr. Haddock’s voice rang out. “Enough! I will not tolerate anymore bickering. You all are trained and experienced Deputies so, for the love of Odin, ACT LIKE IT!” The courtyard grew quite.

Astrid couldn’t help but notice the auburn male flinch from his fathers tone. Although it was subtle, it was there.

A cough could be heard from the man over, standing outside the third bus. He had three tattoo streaks on his chin, similar to Dauger however they were clean and straight opposed to jagged. He was tall and also had a nice build. “Well, Chief, my unit was splendid.” Mr. Haddock rolled his eyes and grumbled. “Of course they were. They always are.”

He cleared his throat and stood a little taller. Mr. Haddock bid a hello. “Good morning Mr. Eret. How have things gone lately for you?”

To which Eret decided this be the time to brag about his unit. Astrid took this time to sneak another look at the auburn haired male.

The agent beside him with the bright red hair had her arms around his waist, smiling giddily up at him. And although he looked lost in thought Astrid couldn’t help but note that his arms were crossed despite the beautiful woman beside him. Were they dating?

Why did that rub her the wrong way? She didn’t know them yet that dreadful feeling of jealousy slowly rose up her spine. No, she thought stubbornly. I am going to swallow every emotion I have and not fall for this boy.

Astrid gave herself a quick nod of encouragement and refused to let another feeling slip by.

Mr. Haddock’s voice rang out over Eret, stopping him mid sentence. “Alright, deputy, we would like to be done with this today.” That earned a few stiff snickers. With a roll of his eyes, Eret gruffly looked over to the last person.

Astrid followed suite.

There standing outside the last bus stood a tall blonde with pale skin and big, bright blue eyes. Her white blonde hair was braided and fell over her left shoulder.

She wore white jeans and a light blue jacket that hugged firmly to her; showing off her well defined curves.

“Ms. Arendelle. I received your email. I presume things have gotten sorted out since then.” She nodded her head in a slow gesture.

“Yes, Chief. Everything is back on track. However there is something that needs further addressing.” Studying the vast man in front of her, Astrid noticed the faint nod. “Yes, of course, lass.”

Letting out a quick cough to clear his throat, Mr. Haddock began speaking again.

“Eret, Dauger. Show your units to their new requested quarters. Ms. Arendelle, lead the last unit to their final test. Sir Hofferson, the third in command will undergo that exam.” Mr. Haddock looked over at the four agents positioned beside them on the stairs.

“You four will be divided up and in charge of one unit; as reprimanded from last mission.” A little quieter he added, “You four are the best agents this program has. I want them to be better than you. If that means break them and build up from the bottom,” he looked his son in the eyes, “then so be it.”


	13. Chapter 12: The Gang

Everyone that was situated on the buses, filed out not too long after. Astrid came to the conclusion very quickly that down the line Mindens’ crew seemed to be the newest arrivals.

The lot of about five all seemed to act out of line. While Ms. Arendales’ looked to be pristine and very formal. Dauger and Erets’ acted to be in between the two.

Astrid re-counted Minden’s unit and shot her uncle a confused glance. She thought the units were supposed to be big. As if reading her mind, Finn mouthed, ‘later’ and left Astrid a stray.

Her gaze shifted over to the group of generals who had decided to make their appearance. Finn gently nudged his niece in the direction of Minden and her unit. “There you go, Little Star. Make friends.”

He grabbed her upper arm, halting her advancment. He shot her a serious look and in a deep voice growled, “Be nice.”

Astrid gave him a sharp look and glared in mock hurt. She couldn’t deny her tendency to be a bitch; she just wasn’t keen on being called out like that.

Finn shrugged his shoulders and let go, crossing his arms over his chest. “I mean it.”

Astrid rolled her eyes and mock-saluted. “Sir yes sir!” He gave her a fond look before leaving to go stand by Mr. Haddock and Gobber.

Astrid slowly made her way to the group that was closest to her. She took this time to slowly observe everyone as she wasn’t the most observant person in stressful environments.

It wasn’t meeting new people that stressed Astrid out, it was the awkward silence and uncomfortable conversations that followed suite. So begrudgingly she let her eyes roam over each person and their distinct features.

There was a dark haired male with metal grey eyes standing the farthest away. He was picking at his teeth and ultimately looking bored. He was by far the shortest there.

His face was square, with busy eyebrows atop his eyes and his nose laid flat on his face. His arms protruded from his shirt and matched his rather square torso but the limbs he calls legs were short and stalky.

Standing next to him was another male. This one was definitely larger in size both tall and wide, with a tuff of blonde hair on top his small head. He was obviously very in tuned with the conversation going about in the small group.

His pale green eyes were nervously shifting from person to person as he fidgeted with his shirt. Light freckles adorned his full cheeks and rather large nose. His crooked smile looked a little too excited for a place like this.

A little ways off from him stood two more people; one female, one male. Or maybe they were both male? Astrid couldn’t tell until she heard their voices as she grew closer.

They looked to be twins with the same long dirty blonde hair and heart shaped faces. They appeared to be bickering back and forth.

One was an inch or so taller and had a larger nose. His hair fell down his back, similar to his sisters. Although she had cornrowed about three braids on both sides of her head. This accented her pinched chin and smaller nose quiet well.

Both twins had the same Steele blue eyes that looked loaded with mischief. And their smiles held dimples as they joked around.

To the right of them, stood another female. She seemed to be the most serious out of them all. She stood with her back to Astrid but the blonde could tell she had her arms crossed over her chest. Her posture was stiff but also delicate as if she was trying to mask her nerves.

And if Astrid had to guess, she probably had her eyebrows raised and full of attitude. Astrid could tell a sarcastic person when she sees one.

The female had charcoal dark hair that appeared to be braided over her shoulder. She wore a brown long sleeved shirt with a silver cropped jacket. Her black leggings were complemented with a mini skirt that looked to be the same color as her jacket.

Her black boots finished it off and made Astrid look at her own outfit in an unsure manor. Astrid’s jeans and blue hoodie was surely nothing compared to some of the females here.

By the time Astrid finished her assessment of everyone, she had reached the small group. The short black haired male stopped looking at the mirror and noticed her appearance first.

He eyed her up and down and started to smirk. “Well hello there gorgeous. And how may I assist you today?” His smile sent a disgusted shiver down the blondes spine. She sneered and bit back a tort when she remembered her uncle’s words.

Their interaction caught the interest of the rest of the group. The blond haired male shifted his eyes over to Astrid and offered a timid smile.

The twins stopped hitting each other and glanced her way. They took her in and went back to acting like imbeciles. The other female finally turned around and uncrossed her arms to bring them limply beside her.

She had giant forest green eyes and one of the prettiest smiles Astrid had ever seen. She reached about the same height as Astrid at 5'7. Her hair was longer than expected and her bangs were parted to the right.

Astrid’s eyes fell over to the short man who seemed to be getting frustrated with no response. “H-e-l-l-o are you deaf? I said i’m right here!” Right off the bat, Astrid classified him as a spoiled brat.

The raven haired girl sighed a long breath and snapped. “Snotlout would you shut up.” The boy - Snotlout- clamped his mouth shut and glared daggers at the women. He crossed his arms and huffed, mumbling incoherent sentences under his breath.

“Sorry about that.” She gave Astrid an apologetic smile. “Let’s start over and pretend that didn’t happen.” Astrid fought the urge to look between Snotlout and her uncle.

Oh joy, a meet and greet.

~~~~~~~

Astrid was always known for not exactly getting along with other people. So it was of no shock to her when she was slightly unaware of how to react when five pairs of eyes were suddenly trained on her. The dark haired beauty in front of her had a smile and an outstretched hand awaiting Astrid’s next move.

“Hi. I’m Heather.” Astrid took her hand in hers and lightly shook it responding with her own name. “I’m Astrid.”

Snotlout snorted and blinked his eyes up at her, trying to look suave. “A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Heather turned around and smacked the back of his head. The sound reverberated throughout the open grounds causing people to look.

Astrid jutted her chin up and pretended to ignore the curious stares and random remarks that arose. She and Heather made eye contact again and the green eyed girl rolled her eyes at his childish antics.

“You’ll have to excuse him, he has the brain of a goldfish sometimes.”

Astrid couldn’t help but let out a snort as she heard Snotlout start to complain about how he could hear us and how he wasn’t a goldfish.

The larger male situated towards the back bounced on one foot to the other as he silently assessed the blonde. He shuffled forward and finally made his presence known.

“Are you new to our unit Astrid?” She shifted her gaze over to stray on the larger, curious male. He took the saying ‘a gentle beast’ quiet literally. Slowly, Astrid nodded with a simple, “Yep.”

He nodded enthusiastically and held out his hand, which dwarfed Astrid’s when they shook. “I’m Justin Ingerman but my friends all call me Fishlegs.” His smile radiated reassurance as they parted.

“Nice to meet you,” she looked at him strange but shook her head as her mouth curved upwards, “Fishlegs.”

She didn’t know what part of town these people were from with names like Snotlout and Fishlegs but they amused her so she played along.

Heather snapped Astrid’s focus when she called out, “Guys,” her voice having sound done when she referred back to the twins. “Introductions first, stupidity later.” Heather gave Astrid a look of annoyance but nonetheless grabbed the two knuckleheads’ attentions.

“Well hello there our blonde friend. Might I educate you on our names.” The male twin bowed to Astrid and dramatically held his hand up to her. “How are thy feeling today before we start?”

The female twin hit her brother upside the head and rolled her eyes.

“You ruined my moment. I had her salivating in suspense.” He grumbled even though Astrid knew if was far from the truth. She could honestly care less about their names. But she didn’t want her first impression to be rude because she was stuck with them for another 20 weeks.

His sister gave him a pointed look and snarled, “You ruined my life.”

He raised an eyebrow and gasped, “Well I had enough room in moms belly but you just had to go and get jealous and ruin my life.”

She stared back dumbfounded. “Tuffnut, you know I developed first so if anything you were the jealous one. And it’s not her stomach dummy, it was her vagina."

Tuff’s features drooped but he lit up again with his next comeback. “Well I beat you out of her...,” he trailed off and looked to be in thought, ”whatever, so you can kiss my ass.”

Heather rubbed her temples and sighed, “It’s called a uterus guys.”

“You’re an idiot Tuff. You know that? You said stomach.” Tuff tried to spit something back out to his sister but fumbled over his words and instead just responded with his own retort.

“Well if I didn’t have to hear it from your annoying voice every second then I might actually forget.” He stubbornly crossed his arms and turned his back to her. He pouted his lips out and closed his eyes throwing a silent temper tantrum.

His eyes snapped open and he smiled victoriously. Opening his eyes he peered over his shoulder to his bored looking sister.

“You know Ruff, we’re twins which means we share a brain. Which ultimately means we’re both idiots, so after doing some incredible math that I somehow remember from high school before I dropped out, I have come to a conclusion that two idiots cancel out.”

He spun around on his heel to come face to face with Ruff who looked to be in thought.

“Which means neither of us are idiots because I love chicken nuggets.” Tuff proudly placed his hands on his hips and gazed off into the distance with a look of achievement arched in his eyes.

Ruff rolled her own steele blue eyes. “You love anything that isn’t healthy.”

Astrid stood by and watched in amusement as the two started to bicker back and forth again. Fishlegs tilted in their direction. “The boy is Tuffnut and the girl is Ruffnut if you haven’t picked that up already.”

Astrid gave her thanks but was stopped shortly by a ringing bell. Minden came sauntering over in an orderly way, halting once she made it to the group.

“Hello unit. I assume you all have acquainted by now. That bell has rung to signal the start of hour 13. You have until hour 16 to settle into your dorms. Boys to the left, girls to the right.” She took this time to explain the rest of the buildings and the meanings behind things.

“The building in front of you is the great hall. We meet here twice a day. Breakfast at hour 05 and dinner at hour 16. We train from hour 07 to hour 12 with a break for water and restroom. You have an hour for any chores or other necessary tasks. We resume training at hour 14 and continue on until supper.”

She proceeded to describe the food here and how we have an hour in the Great hall at a time. “Complete any other job that might be assigned to you, finish any incomplete homework and be in bed, lights out at hour 21.” She asked for questions and then finished talking.

“Now your unit is a rare few which means normally we would split everyone up in pairs however, due to the lack of personas each room will house 3 people. We have given you all an extra bed and the larger rooms. If I hear one complaint from another unit, that you all have been bragging and or boasting, then I will rearrange the set up.”

She locked eyes with everyone before continuing, “And trust me, you will not appreciate it.”

After reassuring that everyone understood, she let us disembark and find our ways to our respected rooms. Bidding goodbye to the men and wishing each other good luck, we separated.

Ruff let out a relieved sigh as she interlocked arms with Heather and Astrid. Both females gave a look of disgust and immediately withdrew from her hold. Much to their annoyance, Ruff didn’t care and continued to walk and rant.

“Gods, I love my brother but he can be such a dramatic asshole sometimes. This feels like paradise.” Heather and Astrid shared a look before jogging to keep up with the walking twin.

Astrid cleared her throat before responding to Ruff’s statement. “This won’t be paradise for long. They only have 20 weeks to whip us into shape.”

Heather added only half joking, “And I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually whipped us.”

Ruff shrugged and opened the door to the building that we would be staying in for the next few months. She let Astrid and Heather walk in first before nonchalantly saying, “So long as I get to see my idiot flesh and blood be in pain, consider me happy.”


	14. Chapter 13: George Washington

Their room happened to be located at the end of the hall on the first floor. All of which looked like it had been through hell and back considering the rough setup it was in. The carpet was stained with different colored spots. The ceiling looked as if it could cave in at any point in time with water leaking form the floor above.

The hall had a musty, mildew scent that seemed to follow Astrid into the room. With whatever relief she prayed to find in their bedroom, flew out the window as the mess inside mimicked the disaster just a couple steps behind her.

There were three twin sized beds as Minden promised. However it also looked as if she had purposely grabbed the worst three that had meant to go to the dump last year. They were clearly worn out and in need of a new mattress.

In fact, the closer Astrid looked, it appeared to be just a set of box springs and a thin layer of memory foam on top of a few flimsy metal rods. At the end of each bed stood a tiny chest which really just looked like a beaten bed side table with a lid that could open on the top.

Astrid stood, taking everything in, surrounded by silence. She heard Heather sigh and begrudgingly entered the room. Ruffnut had been the last to see it, shoving both girls out of the way before racing inside in utter excitement.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Her movements stopped abruptly when she saw what would house them for some of their stay. Her eyes had been the biggest out of the three girls, almost bugging out of her head. Tears started to form in the twin girls eyes as she took everything in.

Astrid didn't know how to comfort her but apparently didn't need to either. Ruff had unexpectedly jumped, wiping a tear from her eye and squealed.

"It's beautiful! Look at the details on the walls!" She ran forward and stroked her hand down some of the rotting wood that stood as their walls. "And these boxes for our treasures!" She spun around and flung herself over the nearest chest.

"Oh! And look you guys! These beds are to die for!" She dramatically dove on top of the far right bed, a cloud of dust arose with her as her body sunk painfully into what we were suppose to sleep on.

Astrid and Heather shared a look of equal bewilderment. Heather mouth the word 'what' to Astrid before shaking her head and wondering further into the room from hell.

Heather had claimed the middle bed and sat down with a grimace. Astrid gagged as she took the far left bed and followed suit by plopping down hesitantly. Her butt hit what was supposedly the mattress and she relaxed a little.

It wasn't as uncomfortable as it looked. In the same breath, it wasn't a five star hotel bed either.

Each bed had only one pillow that laid still. Astrid's had a stain that she didn't even want to know from what. She perked up when she heard Ruff groan.

"My pillow has no fluff." Heather rolled her eyes and examined her own while Astrid did what only a sane person would do in her situation; offer her own pillow as a trade.

"Mine is as soft and fluffy as a cloud. But there's a stain-" Astrid barley had time to register the pillow flying at her head before Ruff had already started to yell.

"Give it to me babe! Stain and all!"

Astrids eyes were wide and in shock at the human being in front of her. Nonetheless though she picked up her own pillow and threw it across the room to the awaited blonde.

"Thank you!" Ruff hit her pillow a couple time before sighing and laying back on it. Heather finally asked what Astrid was dying to know.

"Ruff, you don't care about the stains on it?" Ruffnut scoffed like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You do? It's like sleeping on history. George Washington could have drooled on this pillow and I would be the privileged girl who gets to sleep with it."

Heather raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Ruffnut, George Washington did not sleep, nonetheless drool, on that pillow." Ruff groaned.

"Did you know George Washington?"

"Not personally, but -" Ruff shushed her with her fingers.

"Then how do you know he didn't drool on this pillow if you didn't know the guy?"

Heather looked back over to Astrid who looked just as flabbergasted as she felt. A little while later, after talking with Heather and Astrid, Ruffnut got up to use the restroom. The door the bathroom was on the right side of the room, unfortunately close to Ruff's bed.

The toilet was tiny and very close to the ground. The pristine white that it had once been was now a faded yellow from years of usage. There was a skinny shower on the left side of the toilet that could only fit one person and an even smaller sink to the right of the toilet.

All in all not impressive but certainly better than nothing. How this room passed inspection was still beyond Astrid.

As soon as Ruffnut left, Heather turned around to face the other blonde and said, "Did pillows exist back when George Washington lived?"

Astrid shrugged. "I assume so."

Heather slightly nodded and even though Ruff joined them again, the room remined silent until hour 16 - supper.

~~~~~~~

All three girls meandered up the grand staircase and into the dining hall. Dimly lit candles were scattered throughout the room, surrounding four dark wooded tables. They appeared to be a hard cherry or sandalwood but it was hard to make out the specific kind with how dimly lit it was.

Each table hosted one of the groups that dispersed from the earlier buses. The guys that departed from Astrid and the other girls were waving their hands, acting like barbarians trying get their attention. Ruffnut had already made her way over to her twin, excitedly gushing about their housing situation.

Heather gave Astrid a sideways look, rubbing her temples in exasperation.

"I apologize in advance. I haven't know them for too long-" She gifted the group with another glance before continuing. "Only a couple nights to be accurate, but I'm sorry."

Astrid fixated her attention back on the gang and declared determinedly that she could handle them. She would. How hard can they actually be?

She made her way to the table and sat herself between Fishlegs and Heather. Buzzes of different conversations flowed through her head but she only listened to a few snippets.

Turning her focus around the room and off of the crazy bunch in front of her, she began assessing and familiarizing herself. Her uncle always told her it was smart to be aware of the area and her bearings. Just as she was situating herself and redirecting her attention, she caught sight of her uncle waltzing in through an archway to the right like he owed the place. Well, in a way he did, she mused.

Gobber followed close on his heels with the ragged man known as Stoick not far behind. They approached the front of the room to a longer table, where they seated themselves in the middle. Gobber to Stoick's left and Finn to the left of him. Astrid's uncle made eye contact with her. She took noticed of how put together and formal he brought himself to look. He cleaned up nice.

On the opposite end of the room was another archway which connected somewhere dark and dreary. As if on cue, a few more people bounded out looking regal - an arrogant fog surrounding them as they surged forward.

Hayden or Howard or whatever his name was held his chin high even when sitting to the right of his father. The assumption is that he'd have to with the pressure riding on his back. Although he looked like a robot with a programed routine of where to step and sit. His face, devoid of any emotion, looked just as rough and chiseled as earlier today. Although it looks clean shaven which means he probably shaved beforehand.

A shiver ran up Astrid's spine with a soft hum of hatred as she remembered their first encounter and how he tried to dominate her. She tried to convince herself that was the reason. It had to be. 

What an ass, she reasoned.

The gorgeous red head took her spot next to the auburn haired male and smiled triumphantly down at everyone else not situated with them. Her cocky smile did nothing to help the uneasy and angry feeling resting in Astrid's stomach.

Just looking at her unruly curls, gave Astrid the itching urge to rip them out in fistfuls.

The beautiful long haired blonde placed herself next to the grinning red beside her with a bright smile adjourning her features. She seemed to radiate positivity and kindness - unlike her friend. Green eyes sparkled in excitement which shone throughout the room. They appeared to have more light captured in them than the candles lining the room.

The last to enter pulled out his seat and lazily settled down. His blue hoodie fitted his figure in a leisurely looking way. It brought the blue out of his eyes which casted over the rest of the building with a tired glint to them.

His ash blonde hair reflected the candlelight and seemed to glimmer underneath the shadow. It was evident how tired he was but so full of life at the same time.

The last four to enter the room walked in with precision. Two came out of each archway. Astrid's brain hurt trying to think back to this morning. Each name was on the tip of her tongue but none came to mind. 

Ruffnut stared at one of the males, biting her bottom lip while she was at it. Grabbing a her right braid she whispered, "Mm, Eret...Son of Eret."

Stars danced in her eyes and Astrid could swear she saw her heart beat itself out of her chest. Guess that one's name was Eret. The other male with face tattoos, shot a wink and wave towards Astrid's table. At first she assumed they were meant for her and was ready to throw hands or better yet, spit a nasty reply at him to put him in his disgusting place.

Now she was silently grateful she bit her tongue.

Heather covered her face in her hands and groaned. "'Big brothers are great' my ass." She rubbed her eyes. "Dauger's so annoying and only ever wants to embarrass me."

Every pair of eyes in the room were focused on Astrid's table and she couldn't agree more. Astrid grimaced at the thought of having her own big brother but quickly shot down the idea. She wanted to tell Heather 'try having a little brother' but she loved Garf. And saying she didn't was a lie. Anyone could see that.

Minden was one of the four to take her place at the table. Those three Astrid could name. She was stumbling to come up with the last females name; a platinum blonde who wore it in a braid over her shoulder.

Throwing in her mental towel, she called defeat and nudged the buff boy beside her: Fishlegs.

"Hey who's she again?" Astrid pointed a finger in her direction. The large dude beside flushed as he recognized who she pointed at.

"Elsa." He squeaked out.

Astrid gave him a nod in thanks and turned back around in her seat. Was she going to remember that name? She'll see. Astrid took note of how stiff Hiccup looked at the front table. His curly haired friend was trying to engage him but to her dismay he brushed off her attempts. His crossed arms gave an uncomfortable air to him and Astrid wanted to know why. From where she was sitting, it seemed he had everything he could want. And then a booming voice filled the large room.

And had Astrid not been paying close attention, she might have missed the way Hiccup flinched and hunched a little more into himself.


End file.
